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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Manco, the Peruvian Chief, by W.H.G. Kingston
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Manco, the Peruvian Chief
+       An Englishman's Adventures in the Country of the Incas
+
+Author: W.H.G. Kingston
+
+Illustrator: A.W. Cooper
+
+Release Date: May 8, 2007 [EBook #21397]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+
+
+
+Manco, the Peruvian Chief, An Englishman's Adventures in the Country of
+the Incas, by W.H.G. Kingston.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+Here is another Kingston novel about South America.  As usual he makes
+the point that the Spaniards were very cruel, especially in the way they
+oppressed the Indian tribes.
+
+The family in the story are English, and they get pulled into helping an
+Inca chieftain, Manco, in his flight from the Spaniards.  This seems to
+mirror several other books by Kingston.  There is always a long trek
+overland, the point of which usually eludes me, but which gives rise to
+all sorts of difficult situations, with Spaniards, with serpents, with
+dangerous bridges, with rafts on rivers and so forth.  Dated 1853 this
+must be one of Kingston's earliest books, and certainly one of the
+earliest with this theme: the style is impeccable.  This edition is
+probably some years later, since there is an inscription in the version
+I used dated 1900, and it might have been tidied up if it needed it.
+
+It makes a good audiobook, though not a very long one, at 11 hours 30
+minutes.
+
+Enjoy reading the book or listening to it.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF, AN ENGLISHMAN'S ADVENTURES IN THE COUNTRY OF
+THE INCAS, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE.
+
+MY FAMILY AND HOME--WE CONCEAL A FUGITIVE INDIAN.
+
+It was evening.  The sun had just set beneath the waters of the Pacific,
+which could be distinguished in the far distance; and the whole western
+sky, undimmed by a cloud, was burning with a radiant glow of splendour
+such as to the eyes of the untutored Peruvians might well appear an
+emanation from the Deity they worshipped.
+
+I was looking out, with others of my family, from the windows of the
+country house we inhabited, on the glorious spectacle.  We were residing
+in Peru, that romantic region with which the name of the conqueror
+Pizarro must be for ever associated--the kingdom of the once powerful
+and enlightened Incas, on the western shore of South America.  At the
+time of which I speak, however, its greatness, its prosperity and
+happiness, had passed away; it was a mere province of Old Spain, and
+governed by a viceroy sent from that country, while the race of its
+ancient sovereigns, though still existing, was humbled and disregarded,
+and almost unknown.
+
+My parents were English, and England was my native land.  My father, Mr
+Henry Rexton, had been a soldier in his youth; but when he married my
+mother, who was the daughter of an eminent British merchant, he quitted
+the army; and my grandfather induced him, by advantageous offers, to
+take a share in his house of business.  The firm traded with Peru; and
+certain mercantile transactions of importance requiring for a time the
+superintendence of a partner, my father and mother went out there,
+taking with them me and a younger sister, their only children then born.
+Year after year unexpected circumstances occurred which compelled them,
+much against their wish, to remain in the country; and well do I
+remember how frequently in our family circle the subject of conversation
+was the happiness we expected to enjoy on returning home.  On first
+going to Peru, we resided in Lima, the modern capital; but at length the
+heat of the climate affecting my mother's health, in the hopes of it
+being restored by a cooler atmosphere, my father engaged a house in the
+country, at a considerable distance from the city.  It was situated
+among the lower ranges of the lofty Cordilleras, one of those mighty
+ranges of mountains which stretches from one end to the other of the
+South American continent, the eastern portion of them being more
+properly known by the name of the Andes.
+
+Our house stood on a level spot on the summit of a spur of the main
+chain.  To the east behind it rose range above range of mountains, the
+more distant towering to the sky, and covered with eternal snows.  On
+either side other spurs stretched out far towards the west, forming deep
+gorges below us; while along the side of the ridge on which the house
+was situated ran a narrow road, one of the few paths in that
+neighbourhood, penetrating among the mountains into the regions on the
+eastern side.  From our windows westward, over a wide extent of broken
+ground among the mounds, many of which might in other countries be
+called mountains, would be seen the fertile plains of Peru stretching
+away to the ocean, distinguished on clear days by a silvery line in the
+horizon.  The house was of one floor only, and built of brick and tiled.
+The rooms were large and numerous, and it was surrounded by a
+court-yard.  It was of ancient construction, indeed it appeared to have
+been built originally for a fortification to command the pass through
+the mountains; but the outer walls had fallen into decay or been pulled
+down, though it still retained enough of its former character to enable
+it to be speedily prepared to resist any sudden attack by undisciplined
+forces destitute of artillery.  Around it were plantations of olive and
+orange trees, on the slopes near it were vineyards, and on the level
+spaces fields of maize or Indian corn, and many trees and plants of a
+temperate clime.  At the bottom of the ravine rushed a broad and
+powerful stream, fed by the snows of the neighbouring mountains; and on
+its banks, in a wider part, some little way to the west, was a large
+village inhabited chiefly by Indians, the descendants of the hapless
+race conquered by the Spaniards.  In the neighbourhood, on the other
+side of the river, was a silver mine, in working which many of the
+inhabitants of the village were employed.
+
+My father's house had, I believe, advanced money to the owners; and this
+was one of the reasons which made him select the locality for his
+temporary residence, besides its peculiar healthiness and beauty.  He
+was a firm friend to the Indians, for he pitied their hard fate; and he
+endeavoured by every means in his power to mitigate their sufferings
+under the cruel tyranny to which, even at that time, they were
+subjected.  As he did not own the mine, he could not prevent their
+strength from being often overtaxed; but having some knowledge of
+medicine, he used to prescribe for them when they were sick, and he to
+the best of his means relieved them when overtaken by poverty, so that
+they all learned to love and reverence the English stranger who had come
+among them.  His conduct was uninfluenced by any expectation of a
+return, but he afterwards had reason to know that the despised Indians
+were not ungrateful for his kindness.  My father was a true Christian,
+who looked upon all men helpless or suffering, whatever their hue, or
+race, or religion, as brothers, whom it was his duty to aid and protect.
+He received his reward; and my belief is, that no person ever performs
+a good disinterested action without being rewarded for it even in this
+world.  I, at all events, have met with numerous instances which tend to
+show that such is the case.  The means of crossing the river to the
+mines was by a large hanging bridge, called by the Spaniards "_Puente de
+Soga_," which could be seen from the windows of our house.  On either
+side of the river, some fifty feet above the water, stout posts were
+driven into the steep bank, to which four ropes, formed of twisted
+cow-hides the thickness of a man's arm, were fastened.  These ropes were
+laid parallel to each other, a few feet apart; and were again fastened
+by thinner ropes laid transversely, and forming a sort of network.  On
+this foundation were spread roots of the Agave tree, branches of trees,
+straw, and earth, so that even beasts of burden could walk across.  On
+either side of the bridge, and about three feet above it, two other
+ropes were carried across to serve as a balustrade; but as it had sunk
+in the middle, and the ropes were very slack, it frequently swung from
+side to side as passengers went across, in a most terrific way.  It
+formed a very picturesque object in the landscape.
+
+I have now given a sufficiently full description of our house and the
+scenery surrounding it, to enable my readers to form a tolerably correct
+idea of the picture I wish to present to them.
+
+At the time when the adventures I have resolved to narrate commenced, I
+had just attained my fifteenth year.  I looked older, for I had grown
+rapidly in that warm climate; and, accustomed to exercise and athletic
+sports, I was of a well-knit strong frame, and had a very manly
+appearance, though possessed of the light hair and complexion of the
+Saxon race, somewhat tanned, however, by constant exposure to the sun.
+My brothers and sisters, for I had several, all bore the same marked
+characteristics of our Northern ancestors, contrasting strongly with the
+swarthy hue on the countenances of the people among whom we lived.  They
+used to call us the fair-haired children of the North; and from the love
+and respect with which they regarded us, I believe they associated us in
+their minds with the revered race whom their traditions told them once
+ruled the country with paternal sway--the family of the fallen Incas.
+
+I shall have to tell more fully, in the course of my narrative, the
+beautiful legend, for so I may call it, regarding the origin of the
+Incas; how they appeared suddenly among the ignorant inhabitants of
+Peru, claiming to be the children of the Sun, and, gathering their
+scattered tribes together, formed them into one people, and gave them
+laws and institutions, and brought peace and prosperity to the land,
+which continued till the Spaniards arrived, and, with unexampled
+treachery and cruelty, overthrew their monarchy and reduced the people
+to abject slavery and misery.  The Indians around us were nominally
+Roman Catholics; but though they conformed openly to the ordinances of
+that Church, and partly believed in the power assumed by its priests,
+they pertinaciously retained many of the superstitions of their
+ancestors, and practised their rites in secret.
+
+Having given a brief account of my family, and their position in the
+country, I must begin to unwind the thread of my Tale.  We were seated,
+as I have said, in our sitting-room, gazing on one of the most
+magnificent of Nature's spectacles--the setting sun.  The younger
+children were playing about the room, while my sister Lilly and I, with
+our father and mother, were seated near the open window.  We were
+talking, I well remember, about our distant home, when our conversation
+was interrupted by seeing a man leap over the wall of the court-yard,
+and rapidly approach the house.
+
+"Who can he be?  What brings him here?" exclaimed my mother, while my
+father rose to make inquiries on the subject.
+
+Scarcely had she spoken, when the door was thrown open, and the person
+we had seen rushed into the room.  He was a tall man, of well-knit,
+active frame, and though he looked travel-stained and weary, there was
+something in his appearance and manner which betokened that he was not
+an ordinary being.  His complexion was dark, though scarcely darker than
+that of a Spaniard; but the contour of his features and the expression
+of his countenance showed that he belonged to the Indian race.  His
+dress was simple, consisting of a pair of trowsers, and a shirt of the
+cotton cloth of the country, of a dark blue colour; a poncho of alpaca
+wool covered his shoulders, while a sash was fastened round his waist,
+and his feet were protected by sandals, fastened on by leather thongs.
+He threw himself on the ground before my father, who went to meet him,
+and taking his hand, he looked up imploringly in his face.
+
+"Save me, Senor!" he exclaimed in Spanish, "you have the power if you
+will venture to do it.  I am flying from what they call justice--the
+tyranny of our cruel task-masters.  If I am captured, my death is
+certain.  You are noble and generous, and I throw myself on your mercy."
+
+The appeal thus made, with all the energy of despair, was difficult to
+resist.  My father's feelings were enlisted on the side of the fugitive;
+but he looked round at my mother and us, who now stood grouped about
+him, and remembered the difficulties to which we might be exposed,
+should he yield to the promptings of his heart, from the anger of the
+Spanish authorities.  The Indian divined his thoughts.
+
+"You run no danger," he continued.  "Far be it from me to cause you to
+suffer for your charity.  No one saw me approach your house; neither did
+your servants observe me enter it.  I was on my way through the
+mountains to the far interior, but not daring to enter any house for
+food and rest, I felt that my strength was forsaking me, and that I
+could not hope to combat with the difficulties of the road.  If you
+cannot shelter me, noble Senor, either I must die from fatigue, or be
+captured by my enemies."
+
+"Of what crime have you been guilty, that you thus seek to fly from
+justice?" asked my father.
+
+"Of no crime, Senor, believe me," replied the Indian in a proud tone,
+rising to his feet as he spoke.  "Of no crime in the sight of Heaven, or
+even of men, if they had regard to justice.  I was selected for the
+hated _Meta_, I, a descendant of the great Incas, was ordered to work as
+a slave--a _Pongo_ in the house of a sub-delegado, a man noted for his
+crimes and cruelty.  I refused to perform the disgraceful office--I was
+dragged there by force--with a thong he endeavoured to frighten me into
+performing the work he ordered.  His rage surpassed all bounds; he
+struck me again and again.  Was I tamely to submit?  My dormant spirit
+was aroused.  I at length struck him again; and when he rushed at me in
+his fury, I felled him to the ground.  I attempted to fly, but I was
+captured ere I could do so, and was borne off to prison, there to await
+my doom, which would have been death.  My name was unknown.  They
+thought I was an humble Indian; but some of my race were at hand, and,
+aided by them, I effected my escape from prison.  My friends could not
+conceal me, and my only course was instant flight into the mountains."
+
+"Let us shelter him, Henry," exclaimed my mother, in English; "Heaven
+surely will not allow us to suffer injury from doing what is right."
+
+The Indian at once comprehended by her looks that she was pleading his
+cause.
+
+"May the blessing of the God of my fathers light on you and yours!" he
+cried, kneeling at her feet.
+
+My father thought as she did; but he had learned not to give way on a
+sudden to the impulse of his feelings, and he wished to ascertain that
+the Indian was not deceiving him before he promised his protection.
+
+"Who are you?" he asked; "though your tale, alas! is too probable to be
+doubted."
+
+"I am one who would not be guilty of a falsehood to save my life,"
+answered the Indian proudly; "I am the cousin of the Cacique Tupac
+Amaru, the rightful heir of the last Inca of Peru.  You see in me one of
+the children of the Sun; and though the blood of the conquerors of my
+country is mixed in my veins, I feel that of my fathers still burning
+strongly within me.  I had heard of your charity and kindness to my
+people; and for long I have known you, hoping some day to repay you; but
+I see that you fear my presence might risk the safety of your family,
+and I will not trespass on you.  Give me but some food to sustain my
+wearied body, and I will depart."
+
+My father took the stranger's hand.  "You shall not go," he said.  "I
+will trust you, and at all hazards I will endeavour to conceal you till
+your strength is recruited.  David," he continued, speaking to me, "see
+that the servants do not come into this part of the house till I have
+concealed this poor fellow; and remember, children, do none of you on
+any account speak of what has occurred.  Now, my friend," he added,
+turning to the Indian, "follow me; I trust in the truth of your story,
+and will endeavour to preserve you from injury."
+
+While I went out to the end of the passage to send any of the domestics
+back who might by chance have been coming to that part of the house, my
+father led the Indian to a large unfurnished room, which the children
+used as a play-room in rainy weather.  At one end was a deep recess in
+the wall, with a door to it, and from the recess a narrow flight of
+steps led to a vault of considerable depth, from whence there was a
+passage to the side of the mountains.  In the roof of the chamber there
+was a small trap-door, through which a thin ladder conducted to the roof
+of the house.  It had evidently been constructed when the building was
+used as a fortification, and was probably intended to enable the
+garrison to make a sudden sortie on the enemy at an unexpected point.
+The outside entrance was blocked up by rubbish overgrown with
+vegetation; and my father had caused a strong door to be placed to the
+vault, to prevent any intruder, who might by chance have found his way
+through it, from entering the house.  He always kept the keys himself;
+and as no one ever thought of wishing to enter the recess, a securer
+place for the concealment of the fugitive could not have been found.
+Our evening meal was, fortunately, spread in the parlour, so that we
+were able to supply our guest with the refreshment he so much required,
+without exciting the suspicion of the servants.  I must remark that
+several of them, of the higher class, were Spanish, though the rest were
+Indians; and though we believed them to be honest and faithful, my
+father did not consider it right to trust them with a secret which might
+compromise them as well as himself and all his family.
+
+He was very sensible, even as it was, of the risk that he was running;
+but he had resolved, at all hazards, to preserve the unfortunate man who
+had thrown himself on his protection.  While I kept watch, my mother
+collected some bedding, and took it into the closet; so that in a few
+minutes our guest was made as comfortable as circumstances could allow.
+He ate sparingly of the food placed before him, and then, expressing his
+deep gratitude for the protection afforded him, he threw himself on his
+couch, and sought the repose he so much needed.  My father having
+secured the door, called me to him, and we all again assembled in the
+sitting-room as if nothing had occurred, till summoned by the servant to
+our evening meal.  The arrival of the stranger had, however, an
+influence on my future fortunes.
+
+While our servant Jose, who was a Spanish Creole, was waiting at table,
+I could not help looking into his face to try and discover if he
+suspected anything; but the look of perfect unconsciousness which his
+countenance bore reassured me.  I was afraid also that the children
+might betray it to their nurses; but our mother had kept them carefully
+shut up in the sitting-room while our father was concealing the
+stranger, so that they were under the impression that he had gone away.
+Lilly and I were therefore the only ones in the secret.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO.
+
+UNWELCOME VISITORS.
+
+When we retired to rest, all night long I dreamed of the unhappy
+descendant of the Inca who was beneath our roof.  Some of the incidents
+of which I had read in Peruvian history were strongly mixed up in my
+mind with the reality, with the indistinctness which generally occurs in
+dreams.
+
+I thought our guest was the mild and unfortunate Huascar, the rightful
+Inca of Peru, who was a prisoner in the hands of his fierce brother
+Atahualpa when the Spaniards attacked Peru with their small but
+determined band of robber-warriors.  I thought I was aiding Huascar to
+escape from among his brother's army.  We had passed the guards, who
+were fast asleep, when we came to a broad river.  We attempted to swim
+across, when I felt my strength failing me.  Huascar was bravely
+buffeting the stream by my side.  Suddenly the bank was lined with
+troops.  They shouted to us, and let fly a cloud of arrows at the Inca.
+He stopped swimming.  I endeavoured to drag him on; but as I grasped at
+him he sank below the water.  The shouts grew louder.  I awoke.  The
+noise was real, for I heard the voices of some men calling in Spanish at
+the court-yard gate, and desiring to be let in.
+
+I trembled with alarm; for I at once suspected that the strangers must
+be the emissaries of government come in search of our guest.  I jumped
+up and began to dress myself, intending to go out to inquire who they
+were; but before I had left my room I heard Jose, the servant, hold a
+parley with them at the gate.
+
+"Who are you," he asked, "who come at this unreasonable hour to disturb
+a quiet family?"
+
+"Open in the king's name, and we will let you know," was the answer he
+received.
+
+"I must get my master's leave first, and he is fast asleep," he replied.
+
+"We are government officers in search of a fugitive malefactor, and are
+benighted on our road; so you must awake your master whoever he is, and
+he will not refuse to give us shelter," they exclaimed.
+
+I now went out to join Jose.  He was afraid they were robbers; and I
+suspected that they by some means knew that the fugitive was harboured
+in the house, and only made this a pretext to gain an entrance.
+Fortunately my father was not awakened by the noise, or he might have
+had more difficulty than had the servant in answering the questions put
+by the officers of justice.  Opening a slide in the gate through which
+he could look out, Jose let the light of the lantern fall on the
+strangers, and the inspection convinced him that they were what they
+represented themselves to be.
+
+"Be quick there," said the strangers, "for we have but a short time to
+rest, and we must speedily be again on our road."
+
+"What shall I do, Master David?" said Jose.  "If we do not let them in
+they will batter down the door; but still I do not like to disturb the
+Senor Rexton.  They do not look like robbers, so it is all right."  With
+the knowledge that the Indian concealed in the house was in all
+probability the fugitive the officers were seeking, I felt that it was
+all wrong, and would have given much to have kept them out; but still I
+saw that it would be equally dangerous to attempt to do so.  My heart
+all the time was beating audibly with agitation; and I was afraid that
+even Jose would suspect the secret.  However, I replied, "Let them in,
+Jose, by all means, and do you attend to what they require."
+
+He accordingly withdrew the bolts and bars of the gate, and two chief
+officers--alguazils they are called--and four subordinates made their
+appearance.
+
+Two of them remained without to take care of their horses.  They were
+all fierce, rough-looking fellows, armed with muskets, pistols in their
+belts, and swords by their sides.  The officers of justice (though I do
+not think the name is a proper one) were often pardoned banditti,
+cut-throats and robbers of the blackest dye, who were glad to accept the
+office as an alternative for the garotte; and I believe our visitors
+were of that description.  The inferiors were Mestizos, half Indian and
+half Spaniards by descent, with dark brown complexions and savage
+countenances--altogether gentlemen of a very unprepossessing appearance.
+They were accompanied by a dog, a huge, savage-looking hound, whom they
+called by the very ugly name of Demonio.  If he was a bloodhound, as at
+first I thought he was, I felt that the detection of the Indian would be
+certain.
+
+"You were a long time opening the gate, friend," observed, one of them
+as they strode into the house.  "You took us for robbers, I suppose?"
+
+"O no, Senor, not at all," said Jose; "but a servant should not let
+strangers into the house without his master's leave."
+
+"Is that young senor your master then?" inquired the alguazil.
+
+"He is my master's son; my master is Senor Rexton, an Englishman, and he
+is fast asleep," said Jose.
+
+"Well, you need not disturb him then; all we want is food and shelter
+for the night," replied the alguazil.  "Be quick with the former, some
+straw and blankets will serve us for beds.  While, hark you, do you send
+some one to show the way to the stables, that our beasts may be looked
+after; they require food as much as we do."
+
+"All shall be done you request, Senores; in the mean time, follow me,"
+said Jose; and what was my dismay to see him lead the way to the large
+empty room I have spoken of, close to which the Indian was concealed!  I
+dared not interfere, lest I might excite their suspicions; so I thought
+it best to let Jose follow his own course.  Having dragged in a table
+from one of the other rooms, he placed a lighted candle on it, and then
+hurried off to call up some of the other servants to help him, leaving
+me alone with the officers.  I was afraid of speaking to them, lest they
+should ask me questions; so I made signs that the servant would quickly
+return with what they required.  I dared not even look towards the door
+of the secret passage, to which every instant I expected to see some of
+them go for the purpose of examining it.  However, somewhat to my
+relief, they seemed not to notice the door, but throwing themselves on
+the ground, stretched out their limbs to rest themselves, while their
+hound Demonio crouched down at their feet with his head between his
+fore-paws, ready to spring up in a moment.  I saw by the glare of his
+half-closed eyes that he was all the time wide awake, and eager to
+spring upon any one who might molest him or his masters.
+
+My anxiety made me fancy that Jose was a long time absent, but he had
+really been away only a few minutes, when he returned with another
+servant, bringing a supply of bread and meat, and wine.  Some chairs
+were carried into the room; and the officers being joined by their
+companions, they attacked the viands with a good will.  Had Jose been in
+the secret, he might have betrayed it, but his perfectly collected
+manner gave no cause for suspicion.
+
+"You do not chance to have seen or heard anything of an Indian, an
+atrocious villain who has escaped from justice, and is supposed to have
+taken the path by this up the mountains?" asked one of the officers.
+
+O how my heart did beat as I heard this!  Jose assured them with an air
+of perfect disembarrassment that he knew nothing of any Indian fugitive.
+His answers seemed to satisfy them.  He next brought in some bundles of
+straw and blankets to serve as bedding.
+
+"There, Senores, I hope that you will make yourselves at home, and sleep
+soundly after your supper," he observed, as he deposited them in
+different parts of the room.
+
+"No fear of it, friend; we will not forget your hospitality," said the
+chief alguazil, as he helped himself to a large tumbler of wine.
+
+I was glad to see them apparently so well satisfied; but at the same
+time I thought I detected a sinister expression in the eye of the
+speaker, with which I was not altogether satisfied.  The hound Demonio,
+too, gave me some uneasiness; for though he came back to catch the
+pieces of meat thrown to him by the officers, he employed himself
+meanwhile in snuffing round the room in a very suspicious manner.  Jose
+stood quietly by to attend to their wants.
+
+"Can I do anything more for you, Senores!" he asked.
+
+"Another flask of this wine will not be objectionable, and a bundle of
+cigars would be welcome," answered the chief alguazil, laughing at the
+thought of the comfortable quarters into which he had fallen, and
+determined to make the most of them.
+
+"Certainly, Senores; I am sure my master would not object to afford all
+you require," said Jose, going out to fetch what was asked for.
+
+While he was absent, what was my horror to see the dog, who had now
+finished his meal, begin to snuff vehemently under the door of the
+secret passage, and then to work away with his paws, as if to try and
+open it!  I turned pale with alarm, for I knew that all must be
+discovered; but still I thought it best to take no notice of the
+circumstance.
+
+"What does the dog want there?" said one of the men.
+
+"Rats are there, I suppose," remarked another, whose wits the wine had
+somewhat dulled.
+
+"Demonio has a strange fancy for rats," said a third.
+
+"Rats or not, I should like to have a look behind the door," observed
+the chief alguazil, as the dog's excitement increased.
+
+I said nothing, and the officers seemed to fancy that I could not
+understand Spanish, so they did not trouble me with questions.  Just
+then Jose returned.
+
+"What is inside that door?" asked the chief alguazil abruptly.
+
+"Nothing that I know of but an empty cupboard," he answered quietly.
+"The room is little used, so that I never saw it opened."
+
+"Bring the key, and let us see," said the alguazil.
+
+"I have not the key; and if there is one, my master must have it, and I
+cannot disturb him for such a fancy," replied Jose.  "The dog smells a
+rat; there are many in the house, and he will soon be quiet."
+
+But the dog would not be quiet, neither was the alguazil satisfied; and
+at last Jose was obliged to say that he would go and ask my father for
+the key.  I followed him out of the room.
+
+"Jose, I will go to my father and get the key, while you stay with the
+strangers," I said to him.  "Give them plenty of wine, and amuse them as
+long as you can."
+
+I hurried to my father's room to consult what was to be done; though I
+intended not to mention that the key had been asked for till he had come
+into the passage, as of course my mother would be very much alarmed at
+hearing of it.
+
+I had got him out into the passage, and was mentioning the unwelcome
+arrival of the Spaniards in as calm a tone as I could command, when it
+struck me that I might prevent his being implicated in the secretion of
+the fugitive if I took the whole blame upon myself.  I at last told him
+of the suspicions the behaviour of the horrid dog had aroused in the
+minds of the officers; and entreated him, by every argument I could
+think of, to let me manage the affair as best I could.
+
+"They can scarcely inflict any severe punishment on me," I observed,
+"while they might drag you off to prison, and leave my mother and
+brother and sisters without a protector."
+
+"I must take the consequences of what I have done," he returned.  "At
+the same time I do not repent having endeavoured to save the poor
+fellow.  The act was right, and that must be my consolation."
+
+But I was not so easily to be turned aside from my purpose; and at last
+he consented to let me take the key, and to use it if driven so to do,
+while he remained in his room.  I returned, as may be supposed, in no
+great hurry to the hall; and as I got close to it I heard, amid the loud
+talking of the Spaniards and Jose, who was doing his best to amuse them,
+the scratching and snarling of the savage brute at the door.
+
+"My master is incapable of breaking the laws; that I can assure your
+Excellencies," I heard Jose say.  "If the man you seek is inside there,
+he did not put him in, you may depend on it.  If you find anything, it
+will be a rat or a little mouse, perhaps, for which all this fuss is to
+be made."
+
+"What you say may be true, friend; but if the key is not brought we must
+break open the door," observed one of the Spaniards.  "The dog is not a
+pure bloodhound; but he has enough of the race in him to know the
+difference between an Indian and a rat."
+
+At last I thought it better to go in with the key.  When I reached the
+door of the passage, the brute snarled at me savagely, and I fully
+believe would have sprung upon me and torn me limb from limb, had not
+his masters called him off.  I trembled so with agitation that I could
+scarcely apply the key to the keyhole.  Luckily the light did not fall
+on me, or it would have been perceived.
+
+"Come, young Senor, be quick about it; somebody is in there--of that I
+can be sworn," exclaimed the alguazil.
+
+"There, take the key yourself, and try and open it," I answered, hoping
+that as he did so the Indian would rush out and make his escape, though
+his chance was a forlorn one.  The officer took the key; some of his men
+approached with lights, while others held their swords and pistols ready
+for use.  Jose looked very much astonished, though in no way alarmed at
+the proceedings; but I knew too well what was about to be revealed.  The
+door flew open, and the men and their hateful dog rushed in.  The fate
+of the poor Indian was sealed, I thought.  I followed, expecting to see
+them tearing him to pieces.  What, then, was my astonishment and
+satisfaction to find not a trace of him remaining!  The bedding, and
+even the dishes in which his food had been carried to him, were nowhere
+to be seen.
+
+"There, I told you so," exclaimed Jose triumphantly, "there were nothing
+but rats."
+
+But the dog was not so easily satisfied; and to my horror he rushed down
+the narrow flight of steps leading to the secret outlet.  The door at
+the bottom I knew was locked, and I too justly feared that the Indian
+would be found there.  The officers hesitated about descending; for as
+only one could go at a time, they saw that a determined man might kill
+them in detail, if so inclined; so they sent their inferiors forward to
+make the experiment.  I stood by, waiting the result with increased
+anxiety; for I felt that if the Indian should kill some of the officers,
+the difficulties of our position would be still more increased.  The dog
+led the way, and I hoped would be the only victim; the others followed
+very reluctantly.  Some time passed; but still there was no sign of
+their having discovered the fugitive.
+
+"Have you found the rat?" shouted Jose, laughingly, from above.
+
+"Bring the key of the other door," thundered the alguazil in return from
+below.  I had got it, but I did not say so.
+
+"Of what door do you speak?" asked Jose, in real ignorance of the fact
+that there was a door.  I was anxious to gain all the time possible,
+believing that the Indian must have made his escape through the passage;
+so I let them talk on till the alguazil peremptorily ordered me to open
+the door, threatening me with all sorts of pains and penalties if I
+refused to obey.
+
+"I have heard that there is a long passage leading no one knows where,"
+exclaimed Jose; "so, Senores, if you are going to explore it, you had
+better take some torches, or you may chance lose your way."
+
+"Bring them here instantly," shouted the alguazil.
+
+"If you are wise men you will amuse yourselves with the wine flasks
+while I go to prepare them," said Jose.  The advice was too agreeable to
+be neglected, and I was very glad to see the men return and again seat
+themselves at the table.  While they were drinking and Jose was absent,
+the dog however continued running up and down the steps, and smelling in
+every direction.
+
+The officers seemed to enjoy their wine so much that I was in hopes that
+their suspicions were lulled, and at all events I rejoiced that the
+Indian would have more time afforded him for making his escape.  Jose at
+last returned with the torches, which were composed of twisted straw
+dipped in pitch; and the chief officer descending with less caution than
+before, led the way, the rest following.  At the bottom of the steps was
+a tolerably broad space, which enabled me to pass the men so as to reach
+the door, where the hound, snarling at me as I approached, stood ready
+to rush through at his prey as I supposed.  How the Indian could have
+escaped, still, however, remained a mystery to me.  After several
+attempts I succeeded in turning the rusty lock, and a dark passage cut
+through the solid rock opened before us.  The wet dropped from the roof
+as we proceeded, and, combined with the noxious exhalations which
+proceeded from the farther end, almost extinguished the torches.
+
+"It is folly in me accompanying these men," I thought to myself; and
+just then a recess appearing in the rock, I stepped into it and let the
+rest pass me.  Jose was the last; I touched him as he reached me, and
+whispered to him to return.
+
+He either did not hear me, or wished to watch the proceedings of the
+alguazil and his subordinates.  As I had no torch, I groped my way with
+no little difficulty to the foot of the stairs, thinking Jose was
+following me.  To my horror, just as I was about to ascend, I heard the
+low-muttered growl of the savage hound, and the next instant I found my
+leg seized in his jaws.
+
+"Help, Jose, help!"  I cried out, but not loud, lest the officers should
+hear me; "the brute will kill me else."
+
+But Jose was not, as I supposed, at hand.  I felt the dog moving his
+jaws higher up my leg, as if he evidently was about to pull me to the
+ground, while the pain he inflicted almost paralysed me.  I certainly
+was no coward, but I shrieked in my agony.  In another moment he would
+have mastered me, when, by the faint light which came through the door
+of the room above, I saw a dark figure spring down the steps.  The dog
+let go his hold of me to fly at the new-comer but was met by the point
+of a sharp dagger, which pierced his breast, and uttering a low yell of
+pain and rage, the brute fell dead at my feet.  The Indian--for my
+preserver was the fugitive--without speaking, assisted me in dragging
+the dog out of sight under the steps, and then whispering, "Say not a
+word about the dog, he will not be discovered," again sprung up the
+steps.
+
+I followed him, fearing that the men in the room above would discover
+him.  I caught sight of him as he ascended to the roof of the alcove, by
+means of a single rope which hung to the ground.  In the roof was a
+trap-door, through which he disappeared, and closed it silently after
+him, having first drawn up the rope.  Again going below, I met Jose, and
+told him that the dog was dead, charging him to ask no questions, and to
+say nothing about it.
+
+I was much afraid lest the men should discover the dog; for the fact of
+his remaining near the stairs might make them suspect that the Indian
+was concealed near at hand.  My trousers were fortunately only a little
+torn, though, as the brute's teeth had met in the calf of my leg, I felt
+a considerable amount of pain; but I did my best to conceal it, lest the
+men should accuse me of killing the dog.  I might with truth have
+replied that I had not killed him, but they would then have asked who
+did, to which question I could not have replied.  As the life of a
+fellow-being was at stake, I felt the importance of being very
+circumspect in everything I did.
+
+When we returned to the room, the two men who had been left there
+inquired what had become of their comrades.
+
+"Hunting rats or spirits, for they will find nothing else down there I
+am sure," answered Jose, unconcernedly.  "They will be back soon, I
+warrant, after their fool's chase, begging your pardon, Senores."
+
+His words were verified more speedily than he expected, for at that
+moment cries and shouts were heard, and the officers came tumbling up
+the steps as fast as their legs could carry them, with their hair almost
+standing on end, and their eye-balls starting from their heads.  One had
+lost his cap, another his sword, and all their torches; they were also
+wet and dirty from scraping against the sides of the cavern.  They
+declared that they had been set upon by a whole legion of demons, who
+had blown out their torches and attacked them with teeth and claws, so
+that they were glad to escape with their lives.
+
+"For the love of heaven shut the door, or they will be up here after
+us!" shouted the last of the men, as he rushed into the room.
+
+I, as may be supposed, hurried down with joyful alacrity to obey the
+order, and coming back without encountering any of the demons, closed
+the upper door after me.
+
+"I said you were going on a fool's errand," said Jose; "your pardon for
+the remark, Senores.  But let me fill up your glasses, the wine will
+soon make you forget your mishaps."  The men were easily induced to
+apply the proposed remedy.
+
+"But what has become of the dog?" asked the chief.
+
+"Carried off by the demons," observed Jose.
+
+"Let him go," growled one who was the most bruised and dirty.  "He led
+us into the scrape, and deserves his fate; if it had not been for him,
+we should not have known of that horrid vault."
+
+The chief, notwithstanding these remarks, ordered his men to go and look
+for the dog; but as he showed no readiness to set the example, none of
+the others would obey him, declaring that they would rather be shot at
+once than venture again among such horrors.  I felt very much relieved
+at the turn events had taken.  The Indian had escaped, the means of the
+bloodhound's death was not suspected, and the officers would probably at
+early dawn continue their search after the fugitive.
+
+"Ask them if they wish to return to the vault; for if not, I will take
+the keys up to my father," I whispered to Jose.
+
+"No, no," answered the men.  "We have had enough of the vault, and
+demons, and monsters, and spirits it contains.  Tell your master all we
+want is plenty of this good wine to keep them away."
+
+Telling Jose to give them as much as they required and to keep a careful
+watch over them, I hurried back to my father to inform him that the
+danger was over.
+
+"I never fear the consequence of having performed a good action, my
+boy," he replied; "yet we should be grateful to Providence for having
+preserved us from much suffering, both of mind and body.  The poor
+Indian is for the present safe.  I can guess the way he escaped; but we
+will talk on the matter more to-morrow.  Now, David, go to your room and
+rest, for you look pale and fatigued."
+
+I did not tell my father that the dog had bit me, though I should have
+been wiser had I done so, as he would have had proper remedies applied,
+had the wounds required them.  Jose, however, soon after came into my
+room and fomented my leg with a mixture which he said was very
+efficacious in preventing inflammation from the bite of an animal.  It
+at all events relieved me from the pain I was suffering; and when Jose
+left me to keep watch with the other servants on the officers, I threw
+myself on my bed in the hopes of obtaining some sleep.  Whenever I
+dropped off, my mind recurred to the unfortunate descendant of the
+Incas, and the scenes I had just witnessed; and every instant I was
+jumping up, fancying I heard the shout of the officers as they
+discovered his place of concealment.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE.
+
+A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH.
+
+I awoke to perfect consciousness (for I could scarcely be said to have
+been asleep all night) just as the first faint streaks of dawn were
+appearing in the sky; and hearing the voices of men, and the stamping of
+horses in the court-yard, I looked out of the window to learn what was
+occurring.  At first my mind misgave me that the alguazil and his
+myrmidons had by some means seized the Indian; but as I scrutinised the
+dark forms which appeared in the cold grey light of the morning, I could
+not distinguish his among them.
+
+The men mounted one after the other apparently in good humour, for Jose
+was there among the other servants with a huge flagon of wine to serve
+out to them the stirrup-cup at parting, a custom observed in most
+countries.  It was a great relief to my mind when the gates were opened
+and I saw them fairly outside the walls.  As the light increased, I
+watched them slowly winding along the steep path which led up the
+mountain, till they disappeared in a dark gorge which opened before
+them.
+
+"You will have a long ride if you do not intend to halt till you have
+caught the fugitive in that direction," said I to myself, just as Jose
+entered.
+
+"I have sent the rogues off in good humour," he observed.  "Wine is a
+fine thing to raise the spirits, though to my mind last night they took
+enough to raise more than they expected--ha, ha, ha!  They thought they
+were attacked by ghosts and goblins, when in reality only a number of
+bats flew out against them after the foul air had already damped their
+ardour.  The place swarms with the vermin.  By the by, if the Senor, my
+master, will give me the key of the vault, I will get up that beast of a
+dog, and bury him or hang him up to feed the condors."
+
+I thought Jose suspected something, and said this to learn the truth.  I
+was inclined to confide the secret to him, but I felt that I ought not
+to do so without my father's permission; so I answered that my father
+would give him the keys when he required them.  When I met my father, he
+told me that I was right in not telling Jose, both for our sake as well
+as his own, though he was doubtless trustworthy.
+
+I then asked him what had become of the Indian.
+
+"He is safe on the roof," he replied.  "I have just seen him; he tells
+me that he heard the alguazils arrive, and that at first he thought he
+was betrayed, especially when the dog began to snuff under the door.  He
+soon, however, learned from their conversation that his presence was not
+suspected; but still, to make sure, he descended the stairs in the hopes
+of discovering a means of escape,--finding none, he ascended the ladder,
+and forcing open the trap-door, he got through to the roof.  He then
+returned, when hearing the key asked for, he knew that his bedding would
+betray his having been there, so he carried everything up to the roof,
+lifting the ladder up after him.  His doing so puzzled the dog, and
+saved him his life probably, and us from very considerable annoyance."
+
+We afterwards met at breakfast, when Jose gave my father and mother a
+full account of all that occurred.  My father having given the Indian
+notice to retire to the roof, the body of the hound was removed and
+buried, and the family resumed their usual routine of life.  Either I or
+Lilly twice a day, when no one was observing us, carried food to the
+Indian.  Upwards of a week had passed since his arrival, when he
+expressed a strong desire to resume his journey, saying that he thought
+by this time the search for him must be over.  My father was very
+unwilling to let him go; but he assured us, that now his health and
+strength were completely restored, he had not the slightest fear of
+again falling into the hands of the Spaniards.  All the provision he
+would accept was a little maize, and sufficient cacao to replenish his
+pouch.  The cacao has been in use among the Peruvians from the earliest
+times.  Its peculiar qualities enable those who take it to undergo great
+and continuous exertion, without any other food.  It is a plant somewhat
+like the vine, and grows to about seven or eight feet in height.  The
+leaves have a bitter flavour, and are aromatic.  Among other qualities,
+they act as a sudorific, preserve the teeth, and prevent sleep.  On
+first awaking in the morning, an Indian will put a quid of his favourite
+leaf into his mouth, and he performs the same operation three or four
+times in the day.  To give it a relish he mixes a little pulverised
+unslacked lime, which he carries in a gourd for that purpose.  He takes
+the lime out the gourd with a thin slip of damped wood, and conveys what
+adheres to it to his mouth.  The operation of chewing is called
+_chakchar_.  Many even of the whites indulge in it in secret, though it
+would be considered derogatory to chew in public, because the despised
+Indian does so.
+
+The Peruvians, in their love and admiration for this plant, used to pay
+it a religious respect, and considered it the most grateful offering to
+the spirits they might wish to propitiate.  It has certainly a most
+wonderful effect in sustaining nature; and I have known people
+undergoing great fatigue, exist four or five days, without tasting any
+other food, or suffering the slightest inconvenience.  The ignorant
+conquerors, from observing the reverence paid by the Indians to cacao,
+fancied that it must possess some demoniacal properties, and not only
+refused to use it themselves, but endeavoured to prevent it being used
+by the natives; and a royal decree was actually issued, declaring that
+the idea entertained by the Indians that cacao gave them strength, is an
+"illusion of the devil."  The mine-owners, however, perceived its
+importance in enabling the slaves to undergo fatigue; and its use,
+therefore, rather increased than diminished.  It, however, excites the
+brain, somewhat as does opium, and thus its intemperate use for any
+length of time would probably wear out mental vigour and activity.
+Having procured a supply of this valuable leaf for the Indian, he filled
+his pouch with it, while the maize he fastened up in a corner of his
+poncho.
+
+"I am ready to depart," he said, "though my heart yet lingers with you;
+and believe, O children of a Northern land, that, though fallen and
+despised his race, Manco Tupac Amaru is truly grateful for your generous
+hospitality, and more for preserving his life.  The time may come, and
+shortly too, when he may have the opportunity of proving his gratitude--
+till then, farewell!"
+
+Taking my father's hand and mine, he pressed his lips to them, and burst
+into tears.  His words made an impression on me, though at the time I
+did not comprehend their meaning.  I afterwards had good reason to do
+so.  It was again evening, the hour at which he had arrived; and when it
+was perfectly dark, I went out to see that none of the servants were
+near.  He then let himself drop from the window, and crossing the
+court-yard, scaled the wall, and took his way up the mountain.  I had
+reason to believe that none of the servants suspected that he had been
+with us.  This was the first of the many adventures in which, at that
+period of my life, I was engaged.  We often talked of the Indian Manco,
+and were anxious to know his fate; but for long heard no more of him.
+
+Some time after this, my father invited me to attend him on a journey,
+which business required him to perform, to Cuzco, Lima, and other parts
+of the country; and, as may be supposed, with no little alacrity I set
+to work to make the necessary preparations.  We are fond of boasting of
+the civilisation of Europeans of the present day; but, however
+humiliating to our pride, it must be owned that in many important
+respects Peru has retrograded since the time that the Christian Spaniard
+took possession of the country, and superseded the mild though despotic
+sway of the glorious Incas.  Under her ancient sovereigns, magnificent
+roads traversed the kingdom from north to south, and from the sea-coast
+into the distant interior, across the mighty Andes.  Inns for the
+accommodation of travellers were built at convenient distances on the
+roads, and stored abundantly with provisions, while at each relays of
+couriers were stationed, who with wonderful celerity could carry
+messages or small parcels through the country.  It is said that the
+tables of the Incas, when at Cuzco, or still farther in the interior,
+were supplied regularly with fish fresh caught from the sea, and other
+quickly perishable luxuries, in a mode which has only been accomplished
+in England since the introduction of railroads, or perhaps in the latter
+days of quick coach travelling.  I mention this to show the contrast to
+the means we possessed for performing our journey.
+
+At last the day arrived for our departure.  My father rode a steady
+mule, but I preferred a horse, though not so safe an animal for the
+narrow tracks, up and down steep mountains, on the summit of terrific
+precipices, and across rickety bridges which we were about to traverse.
+
+They were caparisoned much in the same way.  Our saddles were huge and
+deep, covered with red woolly rugs; our stirrups were of Moorish shape,
+large wooden boxes strapped with iron; the girths were broad; and belts
+fastened to the saddle, passed round the breast and haunches of the
+animals, prevented it from slipping off when going up or down the almost
+precipitous declivities in our way.  Our luggage was carried in huge
+trunks, made of untanned bullocks' hides, fastened with thongs of the
+same material, each mule carrying two slung on either side of his back.
+In some our clothes were packed, in others our mattresses and bedding,
+and in others our mess utensils and provisions; for as there were no
+inns, it was necessary to take everything which would be required.  We
+rode ahead, our peons or muleteers following the beasts of burden.
+Before the introduction of horses and mules, the Indians employed the
+delicate llama to carry goods through the country.  We had heavy spurs,
+and sharp bits to our bridles, and wore broad-brimmed hats and ponchos.
+The last named garment may be described as a large piece of cloth of
+wool or cotton, of a round form, with a hole in the centre.  Through
+this hole the head is put, while the cloth falls over the shoulders, and
+forms a very effectual protection from the weather.  It was used by the
+Indians before the conquest.
+
+My mother and Lilly assisted in preparing and packing our provisions and
+clothes; and with prayers for our safety, at an early hour one morning
+they saw us mount and commence our journey.  "Good-bye, mother;
+good-bye, Lilly," I exclaimed, as I seated myself in my saddle.  "I will
+bring you back, like the princes in the Arabian Nights, all the most
+wonderful things I can collect."  Their hearts were too full to answer,
+and their eyes were moist with tears; for they could not conceal from
+themselves that there were many very considerable dangers which we must
+encounter on the road.  They stood watching us while we wound our way
+down the steep path, and crossed the bridge which spanned the river at
+the bottom of the ravine.  I propose giving a very brief sketch of our
+journey, and shall dwell only on the more interesting incidents; or I
+might otherwise fill my book with an account of what we saw in the
+course of a few weeks.
+
+We arrived one evening at a _tambo_, or post-house, which, from its
+appearance and position on a portion of the great high road of the
+Incas, we judged had been erected before the conquest.  The walls were
+very thick, and composed of large blocks of stone.  It was divided into
+two compartments; one had formerly been the storehouse and granary, the
+other the common hall and kitchen.  The roof was thatched, as it had
+been originally.
+
+At a little distance off was a village of Indian huts, mostly small; but
+some were of larger size, in which the cacique and some of the chief men
+resided.  The _tambo_ stood in a beautiful valley, through which ran a
+clear and rapid stream among meadows of ever verdant tints.  The
+mountains which rose on either side were to their very summit cut into
+terraces.  These terraces, or hanging gardens, as they are sometimes
+called, were of no great width, but the walls which faced them were
+built of large blocks of stone; and though in some places they were
+crumbling into decay, in general they were in a perfect state, bearing
+witness to the industry and intelligence of the ancient inhabitants of
+the soil.  These terraces are called _Andenes_, and from thence the
+conquerors derived the name Andes, which they bestowed on the whole vast
+range of mountains.
+
+Our peons having taken charge of our mules and horses, and led them to a
+shed adjoining the grey and moss-grown _tambo_, we entered the building.
+The interior was sombre in the extreme; everybody and everything wore a
+subdued look; and even the dogs slunk about as if their spirits were
+depressed.  The smoke of ages was on the walls and roof, and the tables
+and benches at one side had a sadly dilapidated appearance.  The master
+was an Indian of lightish hue, his long, lank hair already turning grey
+with age, and perhaps with care.  Several Indian women were moving about
+round a fire at the farther end of the room, preparing a meal for a
+somewhat numerous company assembled there.  The women about the house
+were all dressed in loose garments of dark coarse woollen cloth, which
+extended from the neck to the ankles, and were secured round the waist
+by a broad belt of some gay colour.  They wore, folded up on the crown
+of the head, a small cloth mantle, a part of which drooped down to the
+shoulders behind.  Each woman wore over her right shoulder a black
+scarf, which I understood was a sign of mourning, not for any relation
+lately dead, but for their Inca, long ago murdered by their conquerors.
+The dress of most of the men was a dark woollen jacket, with breeches
+open at the knees, a gaily embroidered woollen cap, a broad cotton belt,
+woollen stockings without feet, and sandals of goatskin.  A
+broad-brimmed hat, and a small poncho thrown over the shoulders,
+completed their attire.  Our host soon placed before us a large deep
+silver dish, containing some delicious mountain mutton, and a fat fowl,
+cooked in the ashes, and garnished with small but very good potatoes.
+There were neither knives nor forks in the dish, but one large wooden
+spoon, with which it was intended all guests should help themselves.  We
+had _chicha_, the beverage of the country, offered us in silver goblets;
+but for a good reason neither my father nor I felt inclined to partake
+of it, though our servants did most willingly.  To the taste of
+Englishmen nothing can be more disagreeable than the mode in which
+_chicha_ is prepared.  A quantity of Indian corn is pounded into a fine
+powder, round which a number of old men and women sit and masticate it
+into a paste.  They then roll it into balls, which are dried; and
+afterwards water being thrown on them, they are allowed to ferment.
+
+A number of Indians were sitting apart in a corner of the room.  One of
+them was a tall, thin, emaciated man, of a yellowish copper hue.  His
+only garment was a pair of dark trousers; and his long, lank, black hair
+hung down over his bare shoulders, giving him a very wild and haggard
+appearance.  I saw him swallow a large cupful of a mixture which I
+thought was _chicha_; but soon afterwards he seemed to fall into a deep
+stupor, and I fancied he was going into a fit.  His eyes were fixed on
+the ground, his mouth closed convulsively, and his nostrils dilated.  As
+I watched him, his eyes began to roll most horribly, foam issued from
+his half-opened lips, and every limb and his whole body became distorted
+in the most frightful manner.
+
+"The man will die!"  I exclaimed, springing forward to assist him, and
+disgusted with the apathy of his companions.
+
+"No fear, my son," answered an old Indian, making a sign which checked
+me; "our brother has but drunk the tonga; his spirit has departed for a
+season to hold communication with the spirits of our ancestors, and when
+it returns he will be able to tell us things of wonder, and perchance
+they may show him the treasures which lie hid in their _huacas_--their
+graves."
+
+I afterwards found that the Indian had been drinking a powerful
+narcotic, prepared from the thorn-apple, and which is called
+_huacacachu_, or grave-plant, from the power it is supposed to possess
+of enabling those who drink it to see the inhabitants of the graves.
+After the Indian had been some time convulsed he fell into a profound
+slumber, when his friends covered him up carefully with their mantles
+and left him.
+
+Our meal was scarcely over when the clattering of horses' feet was heard
+on the road, and by the sound I judged that a band of horsemen had
+ridden up to the _tambo_.  Our Indian host rushed out with dismay on his
+countenance.  I followed him to learn what was the matter; and by the
+light of the moon, just then risen over the mountains, I saw about as
+ugly a set of fellows as I ever encountered.  Their countenances were of
+every hue--black, yellow, and olive, disfigured by scars and savage
+passions.  Their garments, I cannot call them uniforms, of many a shape
+and colour, were in rags and tatters.  The horses were weary,
+ill-conditioned and ill-groomed, and as miserably accoutred as their
+riders, with a look in the eye full of vicious meaning.  They were armed
+with short carbines and long swords, and some had pistols and daggers in
+their belts.
+
+"Los Montoneros, los Montoneros!" exclaimed several of the people behind
+me, and rushed back into the _tambo_, the women trying to hide
+themselves from the new-comers.
+
+The horsemen threw themselves from their jaded hacks, and calling to the
+Indians to take charge of them, with scant ceremony entered the
+building.  They regarded, as they did so, my father and me, and our
+servants, with no favourable eye; but after a moment's hesitation, they
+threw themselves on the benches before the table at which we were
+seated, crying loudly for food and liquor.  It was speedily placed
+before them by the trembling hands of the host; and in silence they
+addressed themselves to the tearing the meat with their fingers, as if
+they had not eaten anything for a week.  After imbibing quantities of
+_chicha_, they lighted their cigars; and then their tongues broke loose
+in a style which made us anxious to escape their neighbourhood.  Some
+were Spaniards, or Spanish Creoles, and others were negroes; but most of
+them were of a variety of mixed races.  The Montoneros are notoriously
+robbers in time of peace, and soldiers in war; but from the expressions
+they let fall, we judged that these fellows were employed exclusively in
+plundering all they met not likely to offer resistance.  My father told
+the servant to keep a sharp look-out on our horses and mules, which the
+gentlemen would with little ceremony have appropriated.
+
+To avoid them we walked over to where the group of Indians were
+collected round the tonga-drinker, who was now awaking from his sleep,
+and sitting up, though apparently very much exhausted.  His companions
+were listening attentively to the mysterious revelations which fell from
+his mouth, the result of his spiritual communications with his
+ancestors.  He spoke of a day of regeneration for the Indians; of
+liberty and happiness not far distant, when the yoke of the Spaniard
+would be thrown off their necks, and the race of their Inca should again
+wear the crimson _borla_ of their monarchy.  There was an air of
+earnestness and sincerity in his manner which convinced me that he at
+all events was deceiving himself as well as his hearers.  In his dreams
+he had truly seen what he hoped would come to pass.  I afterwards had
+good reason to know that he had strong foundation for his prophecies.
+He was still uttering his awful communications to his wondering and
+credulous hearers; the Montoneros were still drinking, smoking, and
+feasting; and some other travellers (Spanish, negro, and native, among
+whom was a Spanish priest, a landowner near Cuzco, and a shopkeeper)
+were either taking their suppers or seeking repose, when we retired to
+the deserted granary.
+
+We were actually provided with bedsteads of a rude construction, on
+which we spread our bedding.  The noise made by the Montoneros prevented
+me from sleeping for some time; till they themselves sought for rest, on
+and under the table and benches where they had been sitting.  I was
+awakened in the middle of the night by a scratching and hissing and
+struggling noise under my bed, as if two animals were fighting.  I
+sprung to my feet, and by the light of the full moon, which streamed in
+through a hole in the wall, I saw a large tabby cat engaged in a fierce
+combat with a glittering snake.  At first I thought it would prove a
+hopeless one for poor pussy; but I soon saw by her manoeuvres, that she
+had at all events an equal chance of victory.  Now the venomous monster
+would dart out its forked tongue and try to spring at her; when she,
+with equal agility, would leap aside and would sit watching her
+antagonist with careful eye, endeavouring to find an opportunity of
+catching it by the neck, while she avoided its deadly fangs.  The snake
+seemed aware of its danger, and was not the less cautious.  Indeed puss
+had already given it an ugly bite on the neck, which had somewhat
+crippled its movements--probably catching it asleep.  The snake kept
+turning round and round its baneful head, the cat always keeping beyond
+the distance she knew it could spring.  At last she saw her opportunity,
+and rushing in upon it, she seized it by the neck, so that it could not
+bite her.  The snake wriggled violently, but all in vain; after a few
+convulsive struggles even the tail ceased to move, and I left the eat
+crunching the bones of her defeated antagonist.
+
+I was glad to find that I had so good a guardian as puss had proved.  I
+turned into bed again and went to sleep.  In the morning I discovered
+that the snake was a very venomous adder, but that the cat was not a bit
+the worse for eating it.  I afterwards learned that there are certain
+sorts of poison which may be swallowed without danger, yet if it should
+touch the slightest scratch or excoriation of the skin, would prove
+fatal.
+
+At daybreak the Montoneros were on foot; and to the satisfaction of all
+the occupants of the _tambo_, they took their departure up the valley.
+It was the direction in which we were going, but we hoped not again to
+fall in with them.  As we were mounting to proceed on our journey, the
+Indian soothsayer (for so I may call him) approached my father, and
+whispered earnestly in his ear for some minutes.  My father looked
+surprised and somewhat anxious, and told him he thanked him for his
+advice.  The Indian retired into the _tambo_ apparently satisfied.  We
+had begun to move on, when we were called back; and, turning our heads,
+we saw the padre and the other Spaniards mounting their mules.
+
+"Stay, Senors, for the love of charity," cried the padre; "we are going
+your way, and if we go alone and meet with those villains, the
+Montoneros, we shall all be robbed and murdered to a certainty.  Now you
+Englishmen are known to fight bravely, so the rogues may not think it
+worth while to attack us."
+
+"We shall be happy to have your company, Senor Padre," said my father,
+smiling; "but I hope our valour may not be put to the proof."
+
+"I am sure I hope not either," ejaculated the padre, crossing himself.
+"May the holy saints protect us; for those fellows care not for the
+anathemas of the church, the laws of the realm, or the bullets of the
+soldiers."
+
+The other Spaniards seemed to partake of the alarm of the padre; and as
+we rode along, I saw them casting anxious glances around, as if they
+expected every moment to see the robbers start out from behind the rocks
+which skirted the road.  After we had proceeded some distance, my father
+called a halt, and summoning the guides, he inquired whether they were
+acquainted with a road to the right, which he described.  They replied
+that they were, but that it was longer and more difficult.
+
+"Never mind," he replied; "it is the road I intend to pursue.  I shall
+be glad of the company of those who wish to journey with me."
+
+Though he did not give his reasons, the Spaniards saw that he had good
+cause for his change of route, and agreed to accompany us.  They
+probably, however, attributed it to the Montoneros; as I observed that
+the expression of apprehension on their countenances gradually wore off,
+and they no longer cast the same furtive glances at every bush and rock
+as before.
+
+We travelled along the valley for many miles, sometimes passing over a
+high ridge, and then again descending to follow up the course of some
+stream which had its birth among the snowy ranges above us.  My father
+had formed the party into military order.  Four armed men took the lead,
+then came the baggage mules, while the main body of those on horseback
+brought up the rear.
+
+For three or four days we travelled on, each night sleeping at one of
+the wretched _tambos_ kept by Indians, similar to that I have before
+described.  Every day we mounted higher and higher, the scenery becoming
+more wild, barren, and desolate.  We were now traversing that part of
+the Cordilleras called the Puna, a region of level heights, some
+fourteen thousand feet above the sea; nearly the only vegetation being a
+short, dark yellow grass, scarcely a tree or a shrub to be seen, except
+cacti, gentiana, and a few other flowering plants.  There were animals,
+however, in abundance--vicunas, huanacus, stags, and rock-rabbits; while
+condors and other birds of prey hovered aloft, ready to pounce down on
+any carcase they might scent from afar.  We next entered the region of
+the Sierra, the name given to the extensive valleys which either
+intersect the Puna, or lie between the Cordilleras and the Andes.  These
+valleys are generally some thousand feet below the Puna, and the climate
+is very pure and healthy.  The soil is also very fertile, so that they
+were in the days of the Incas, and still are, more densely inhabited by
+Indians than any other portion of Peru.  These valleys contain many
+towns, villages, and hamlets; but as they are surrounded on all sides by
+mountains, only to be crossed by dangerous and circuitous routes, their
+trade is but limited, and they are seldom visited by the inhabitants of
+other parts of Peru.  Among them are a few white people, but a
+considerable number of mestizos live in the towns.  There is very little
+money in circulation among them, and in some parts hens' eggs are used
+instead of small coin, about fifty being counted for a dollar.  The
+Indians are the sole cultivators of the soil, which produces wheat,
+maize, and barley in abundance, as well as potatoes and other tuberous
+plants, and most of the vegetables and fruits of Europe.
+
+It must be understood that many of the scenes I have to describe took
+place in this favoured region; while others, again, were among the
+mountains and valleys to the east of the vast range of the Andes.
+People when reading of mountains are so apt to picture to themselves the
+molehills of Europe, which can mostly be crossed on foot in a day or so,
+that I must remind them that the Cordilleras and Andes which I am
+describing are an extensive region, the passage over which requires not
+only days, but in some places even weeks to accomplish.  We had
+traversed several of these valleys, and were now about to cross over the
+highest ridge of the Andes.  Having travelled so far without
+encountering the Montoneros, even the most timid of our party had lost
+all apprehension on that score.
+
+One afternoon we found ourselves ascending through a narrow and wild
+gorge in the mountains.  For three hours we had been mounting higher and
+higher, till our beasts began to show great signs of weariness.  At last
+we saw before us a huge rock which, projecting from the side of the
+mountain, completely overhung the road, and looked as if it would
+overwhelm all who attempted to pass under it; while on the other side
+was a precipice three or four hundred feet in perpendicular height, at
+the bottom of which appeared a dark chasm with a wild roaring torrent
+running through it.  The road, if so the mountain track could be called,
+was barely wide enough to allow a loaded mule to proceed along it; and
+it was next to impossible for two animals to pass one another, or for a
+person to dismount without great risk of falling over the precipice.  We
+had been scrambling up for a long way over places which it appeared
+scarcely possible even goats would surmount, when one of the baggage
+mules stopped short and refused to proceed.  Several others followed his
+example, and the whole cavalcade in the rear was brought to a
+stand-still.  Blows could not be administered, for the muleteers could
+not get up to the beasts; and entreaties, coaxings, and persuasions were
+all in vain.  I could not help laughing at the variety of expressions
+the men made use of to induce the animals to move.  First they addressed
+them by every endearing epithet they could think of, then they appealed
+to their courage, their magnanimity, their perseverance--the deeds of
+their ancestors.
+
+"Have not I always treated you well?" exclaimed our muleteer Juan to his
+beast.  "Have not I always seen you housed and fed before I thought of
+caring for myself?  Have not I slept by your side and watched over you
+as a father his son?  Ungrateful as you are thus to behave at this
+pinch!  If we meet another party, we shall be all hurled headlong over
+the rocks, or we shall have to fight desperately and have to hurl them
+over, and all for your obstinacy, sons of donkeys that you are!"--and he
+broke forth in a torrent of vituperation and abuse which it is not
+necessary for me here to repeat.
+
+"If the Montoneros should meet us now, what will become of us?" cried
+the padre.
+
+"It is the last place they would think of attacking us in," observed my
+father.  "Their object is to get possession of our purses and our
+beasts; now if they attacked us here, the greater number of us would be
+tumbled over into the torrent below, so they would lose their booty."
+
+"That's a satisfaction truly," observed the padre; "but I wish the
+beasts would move."
+
+The beasts, however, seemed not a bit inclined to stir, and we had no
+remedy for it but to wait patiently, or throw them and our luggage over
+the precipice.  As I looked up and saw the huge boulders of rock which
+hung above our heads, appearing as if the touch of a vicuna's hoof would
+send them rushing down to overwhelm us in their fall, I certainly did
+feel anxious to get out of their way.  At last the leading mule,
+somewhat rested, began to move, the others followed him for a few
+minutes, and they all stopped again.  The same process of entreating,
+coaxing, and abusing was gone over again; when the refractory cavalcade
+moved on once more for a few paces, but only in like manner to try our
+patience and our nerves by stopping at a worse spot than before.  After
+resting a few minutes, the leading mule, which kept the others back,
+appeared to gain strength, and his stoppages each time being of shorter
+duration, he at length began to climb up the steep ascent before him,
+the rest readily following.
+
+The cold, at this great height we had now attained, was excessive to our
+feelings, accustomed to the warmth of the lower country.  Great,
+however, as was the elevation, the peaks which rose above us on every
+side appeared not to have lessened in the least in height.  Snow of
+brilliant whiteness was around us, some of which in the more lofty spots
+had perhaps not melted since the days of the flood.  Mists were floating
+about, and below our feet was collected a dense mass, which obscured the
+view beyond.  A few flakes of snow began to fall, which every instant
+increased in number.
+
+"Forward, forward, Senores!" shouted our chief peon, who acted as guide.
+"If a Cordillera storm catches us before we get under shelter, the days
+of some of us may be numbered."
+
+We did not neglect the warning.  The animals even seemed to perceive the
+necessity of pushing on; and away we all went, tumbling, sliding, and
+leaping over the rough track which led down the mountain.  The snow
+increased in density, so that we could scarcely see the person
+immediately preceding us; and the chilling wind blew stronger and
+stronger from off the icy peaks above.  Not a moment was to be lost--the
+guides shouted, "On, on, on!" and we whipped and spurred, and urged on
+our weary beasts by word and bridle.  Still the ground was far too rough
+to enable us to get them into a trot, far less to gallop; and besides, a
+tumble would in many places have proved fatal both to horse and rider.
+The descent was very rapid, for we were scarcely ever on a level.
+
+"I'll will it fare with any unfortunate fellow in the rear who falls,"
+said my father.  "Remain close to me, David; I am afraid of your horse
+stumbling."
+
+"No fear," I answered, "I keep a tight rein on him, and he knows well
+that he must not be careless."
+
+There was little time to contemplate the scene as we rode along, but
+still I could not help being struck by the solemn stillness, and the
+wildness of the desolation around.  The voices of the men, as they
+shouted out, appeared strange and unnatural from their very
+distinctness, as did the tramp of the animals; while not another sound
+was heard from any direction.
+
+"On, on, Senores!" were the only words we could hear.  The snow had
+ceased; but dark clouds seemed gathering around us, when, without
+warning, a flash of forked lightning darted across our path, ploughing
+up the ground before us, and followed by a peal of thunder which seemed
+to rend the mountain tops.  Flash succeeded flash in every direction,
+the very atmosphere quivering with the uninterrupted peals repeated a
+thousand-fold by the mountain echoes; while cataracts of fire appeared
+to be rushing down the rocks on either side.  Our trembling animals
+refused to move; the Spaniards crossed themselves, and shrieking, as
+they slid off the backs of the animals they rode, they called on their
+saints for protection.
+
+We dismounted and endeavoured to lead our horses under an overhanging
+rock.  At last we succeeded in obtaining some shelter; and there we
+stood, every instant expecting to be struck by the electric fluid, which
+rushed zigzagging before us.  Feelings such I had never before
+experienced came over me.  I was at the same time inspired rather with
+awe than with terror.  It was as if the heavens were pouring out their
+full wrath on man--as if the foundations of the world were about to be
+uprooted, and the mighty mountains hurled over on the plains below.
+
+Rocks and earth came hurtling down from the lofty peaks above us; crash
+succeeded crash, and flashes of the most intensely vivid lightning
+dashed before us without intermission, till the air itself seemed on
+fire, and the faculties of sight and hearing both failed from
+over-exhaustion of their energies.  It appeared as if the dreadful
+strife of the elements would never end; but as we were despairing of
+reaching a resting-place before night should set in, the thunder rolled
+away, the lightning ceased, and our party emerging from the caves and
+crevices where they had taken shelter, we found that providentially all
+had escaped injury.  We mounted once more.  As we proceeded, the rays of
+the setting sun came streaming along a beautiful valley which opened on
+our right.  Descending rapidly, in little more than an hour we found
+ourselves before a _tambo_.  It was wretched enough in appearance, and
+neither food nor beds did it afford.  As, however, we had with us a
+supply of provisions, and our cloaks and saddle-cloths spread on the
+floor, with our saddles for pillows, served us for couches, we were not
+worse off than we frequently had been; and I know that I slept soundly
+till morning.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR.
+
+ATTACKED BY ROBBERS--A MERCIFUL DEED RETURNED WITH INTEREST.
+
+The scenery we passed the next day was very similar to what I have
+already described; but the valley, which, on being contrasted with the
+snowy region we had just left, appeared so attractive, was, I found,
+when seen by the morning light, owing to its high elevation, a very
+barren and desolate place.
+
+We rode on for some hours through scenery such as I have before
+described, when in the afternoon, as we were beginning to fancy that we
+were near the termination of our day's journey, we entered a deep gorge,
+with the dark rocks towering up, wild and rugged, on either side of us.
+It was just such a place as one might have expected an ambush to have
+been placed in; as a few resolute men might have held the road, aided by
+others sheltered by the rocks, against a whole army attempting to pass.
+An oppressive gloom invaded the spot, and the air seemed damp and heavy,
+as if the warming rays of the sun had never penetrated below the tops of
+the cliffs.
+
+I was riding on in advance of the main body, when, on reaching the spot
+where the gorge opened somewhat, I saw at a considerable distance before
+me what I took to be a mark on the cliff in the shape of a horse with a
+rider.  As I advanced, however, I perceived that it was a lonely man on
+horseback.  He was too far off, standing as he was in shade, for me to
+distinguish his dress or appearance.  He seemed to be stationary, as if
+watching our approach.  A sharp turn in the road shut out the view
+beyond him.  Had I been an old soldier, I should have fallen back on my
+companions and reported what I had seen; but I fancied that the horseman
+was a traveller like ourselves, and so I continued to ride carelessly
+on.  I was very nearly falling a victim to my neglect.  I had advanced
+some two hundred yards farther, when my friends reached the spot from
+which I had first caught sight of the horseman.  He was still there, but
+no sooner did he see them than he wheeled round his horse and
+disappeared behind the cliffs.  This I thought suspicious.  My first
+impulse was to gallop on to overtake the man; but fortunately the chief
+guide had just then come up with me, and urged me not to go on.  I
+therefore shouted out to my friends to let them know what I had seen,
+and reined in my steed till they came up.  The information did not
+hasten the advance of any of the party; indeed some of them were
+evidently anxious to cede the post of honour in the van to their
+friends.  The cry of "The Montoneros, the Montoneros!" arose from every
+mouth.  Some tumbled off their horses, as if to shelter themselves
+behind them from the expected volleys of the dreaded banditti; others
+sat still and began to count their beads; and not a few turned their
+horses' heads preparatory to running away.  I must do the padre the
+justice to say that he looked as brave as any of them, except a few who
+advanced to the front.
+
+"Where are the enemy, David?" asked my father, who led them on.
+
+"I only saw one man, whom our friends here have multiplied into a band
+of Montoneros," I replied.
+
+"Come on, my friends, then!" exclaimed my father.  "If the man my boy
+saw is a robber, he and his companions are more likely to run away than
+to attack us, if we show a bold front."
+
+His words and tone of confidence restored the fast evaporating courage
+of the party; and having halted to get them into something like order,
+with the armed men in front and the baggage mules and their drivers in
+the rear, we again moved forward.  We had not, however, advanced far,
+when the man I had before seen again appeared; and directly afterwards a
+troop of horsemen wheeled round the sharp angle of the rock, and with
+loud cries galloped rapidly towards us.
+
+"Steady, steady, for your lives!" shouted my father, as he saw in many
+of our companions strong evidence of a disposition to turn round and
+fly.  "If we break our ranks, we are lost."
+
+That the horsemen now approaching were banditti, I had no doubt, from
+their varied and fantastic dresses, the different hues of their faces,
+and their wild appearance.  We could not escape them, even had we been
+better mounted than they were, as the baggage mules in the rear would
+have prevented us.  This they probably calculated on, or perhaps they
+would rather we had escaped and left them our baggage, which was what
+they most wanted, with the exception, perhaps, of our horses.  They
+invariably appropriate the best horses they can find, as it is important
+for them to be well mounted.  My father and I, two Spaniards, a mestizo,
+and our chief Indian guide, formed the first rank.  When we saw the
+Montoneros, and could no longer doubt their intentions, we halted and
+presented our firearms.  These were of various lengths and calibres, and
+some were better fitted to frighten an enemy than to do harm.  When the
+Montoneros saw the determined front we presented, they checked their
+speed, but it was only for an instant.
+
+"Do not fire until they get close to us," cried my father.
+
+On came the banditti, their horses' hoofs clattering over the hard road,
+while uttering loud and discordant yells, they waved their swords above
+their heads.  They made their intentions very manifest of cutting us to
+pieces if they could; so we felt perfectly justified in trying to knock
+them out of their saddles.
+
+Many of our party gave themselves up for lost; and certainly the
+appearance of the banditti was enough to make a stout heart
+uncomfortable, to say the least of it.  Their untrimmed moustaches and
+long hair escaping from under their broad-brimmed hats, their fierce
+countenances and dark flashing eyes, the many hues of their skins, and
+their motley costume, gave them altogether a very savage look, which was
+increased by the fiery bloodshot eyes of their horses, whose shaggy
+manes and the fringe of their housing streamed in the wind, while their
+riders shook their weapons, and shrieked out threats of destruction on
+our heads.
+
+"Steady, my men, and fire when I do," cried my father, levelling his
+rifle; in which I, Jose, and the rest, followed his example.  The
+Montoneros had got within a dozen paces of us, when we gave the word.
+We fired together, our friends behind handing us their still loaded
+weapons.  Two of the robbers rolled in the dust, and the horse of a
+third was shot dead, and fell across the road, so as somewhat to impede
+the progress of those behind.  On they came, however, and were up to us
+as we fired our second round, and received a discharge of their carbines
+in return.  Some of the shot took effect on our companions in the rear,
+who, instead of reloading the firearms, threw them down and endeavoured
+to escape.  In an instant the banditti were upon us.  My father's horse
+was shot under him.  I saw Jose knocked over; and then I recollect
+nothing that happened for some minutes, except a confusion of sounds,
+shouts, and shrieks and groans.  When I returned to consciousness, my
+first thought was for my father.  He was not near me, but I saw Jose at
+no great distance, leaning on his arm, as if unable to move, and looking
+along the road the way we had come.  I turned my eyes in the same
+direction, towards which the tide of the fight had gone.  A few of our
+companions were still contending against a greatly superior number of
+the banditti, most of whom, however, were engaged in a work more
+congenial to their taste, that of plundering our baggage.  I could not
+doubt that my father was among the combatants; for without his example I
+did not think the others would have fought, and I trembled for his fate.
+I tried to rise, to rush to his assistance, or to die with him; but I
+found I was too weak to stand, much less to use a weapon.  I gave up all
+for lost, for I perceived that the resistance of the gallant little band
+of my friends was every instant growing weaker; while the robbers were
+quitting their plunder to join their assailants.  Meantime some of the
+baggage mules were trotting off in the direction where Jose and I lay;
+seeing which, some of the banditti came in pursuit of them.  On seeing
+that I was alive, a savage-looking fellow lifted his carbine, and was
+about to give me a quietus on my head with the butt of it, while another
+threatened to perform the same office for Jose, when a shout, different
+from any I had before heard, reached my ears.
+
+"Los Indios, los Indios!--the Indians, the Indians!" cried the brigands;
+"fly, fly, or we are lost!"
+
+I looked up; for when I thought my brains were about to be dashed out, I
+had instinctively shut my eyes.  What was my surprise to see the cliffs
+on either side of the road, and which I had thought inaccessible,
+swarming with Indians, mostly dressed in their ancient costume, and
+armed with bows and slings, with which they sent a shower of arrows and
+stones among our enemies!  Several of them were wounded; and the
+suddenness of the attack threw them into confusion.  Before they could
+recover from it, the Indians came leaping down the cliffs, and threw
+themselves between the three parties of the robbers, while others
+advanced along either end of the road, so as completely to hem them in.
+With the wildest fury, animated apparently by the most deadly hatred,
+the Indians rushed on our assailants, who, though they fought for their
+lives, could not withstand the onset.
+
+I mentioned that at some distance from me I had observed a few of my
+friends, among whom I had no doubt was my father, hard pressed by a
+number of the robbers, who seemed intent on their destruction.  The
+latter had now to defend themselves from the Indians; and my father and
+his party attacking them in return, they were either cut down at once,
+or attempted to escape by flight.  A few of the more determined had
+fought their way back to where I lay, and I fully expected to receive my
+death-wound from some of them, as the fight passed over me, when I felt
+myself lifted in the arms of an Indian who I saw was dressed in the
+costume of a Peruvian chief; and just as the combatants reached me, he
+carried me out of the _melee_, and bore me up the cliff to a spot which
+none were likely to reach.  As he placed me on the ground, I caught a
+sight of his countenance, and recognised the fugitive whom we had
+protected, the Indian, Manco Tupac Amaru.  Before I had time to utter a
+word of thanks, he had again leaped down the cliff and joined in the
+combat.  Some ten or a dozen of the robbers, who were still on
+horseback, and had kept together, were attempting to cut their way along
+the road among the mass of Indians who opposed them.  Being well
+mounted, and with superior weapons, they had a great advantage; but the
+Indians were inspired with a courage I little expected to witness.  They
+rushed in upon them, cut their bridles, and dashed their spears in their
+faces; and seizing them by their clothes, hung on them, in spite of the
+cuts and thrusts of their swords, till they dragged them from their
+saddles.  No quarter was given; the instant a robber was unhorsed he was
+speared; and before the tide of the fight had rolled on many yards, not
+one was left alive.  Many of our party had fallen.  Indeed I was
+surprised to observe, nor could I account for it, that the Indians took
+no pains to preserve the lives of the Spanish travellers, though they
+did their utmost to protect the Indian guides.  The padre and two or
+three others alone escaped.  The road below me indeed presented a sad
+spectacle; for, as far as I could see, it appeared strewed with the
+corpses of my late companions--of robbers and Indians, many of whom had
+fallen in the last desperate struggle.  I looked anxiously for my
+father, and my heart beat with joy as I saw him coming along the road,
+and evidently looking for me.  My preserver, Manco, had observed him;
+the recognition was mutual, and they soon approached the spot where I
+lay.  I need not describe my father's feelings at finding that I was
+alive.  I endeavoured at first to conceal the pain I suffered, and which
+made me fancy that my thigh must have been broken.  At length, however,
+I could not help giving expression to the anguish I experienced.
+
+"Wait a few minutes," said the Indian chief, "and when I have performed
+some duties which are urgently required, I will cause my people to form
+a litter to transport you to a place of safety.  What has occurred must
+remain secret for a time.  I can trust you; but some of the people in
+your company who have escaped, might betray our proceedings to the
+authorities.  Their lives are safe, but we must keep them prisoners till
+they can no longer injure us by being at liberty."
+
+Neither my father nor I could understand what he meant, and before we
+could ask an explanation, he had left us.  We watched his movements, and
+saw him place each of the survivors of our party between a guard of four
+armed Indians.  Some of his followers took charge of the baggage mules;
+others lifted up the dead bodies of their friends; while the rest were
+busily employed in collecting the arrows and the other Indian missiles
+and weapons; and they then again formed in marching order.  A few had
+constructed a litter, and brought it to the foot of the cliff, down
+which Manco, with my father's aid, now conveyed me.
+
+"I wish to have no sign of our having taken share in the fray," observed
+the Indian.  "The lions and condors will take good care that none shall
+discover how those men died."
+
+As he spoke, I looked up, and observed several of those mighty monsters
+of the air hovering above our heads, ready to pounce down on their prey
+as soon as we should have left them to enjoy their banquet undisturbed.
+
+At a sign from Manco, whom the Indians seemed to obey with the greatest
+zeal and respect, they lifted up my litter, and bore it along at a rapid
+rate.  My father mounted a horse which was brought him, Manco rode
+another, and the priest was accommodated with a mule; but the rest of
+the Spaniards were compelled to walk, except poor Jose, who was carried,
+as was I, on the shoulders of some Indians; but they did not seem at all
+to like the office, nor to regard the rest of their prisoners with any
+feeling of good-will.  Every arrangement was made with great
+promptitude; and as I watched from my litter the Indian warriors filing
+before me, I could scarcely help thinking that I saw a portion of the
+very army which the great Incas were accustomed to lead to victory.
+
+We proceeded along what might be called the high road for some miles,
+when we struck off across the mountains to the left, the latter part of
+the time being guided by torches, for it had become too dark otherwise
+to see our way.  At last we arrived at a small hut, built on the side of
+a rugged mountain.  It afforded shelter from the cold night-wind; and as
+many as it could hold took up their quarters within it, while the
+remainder bivouacked without.
+
+Fortunately for me, the padre was something of a surgeon, and on
+examining my leg, he assured me that my leg was not broken, but only
+severely bruised, and that perfect rest with fomentations would recover
+it.  It was impossible, however, to obtain that rest, as we journeyed on
+without stopping, except for our meals and a few hours' rest at night,
+for several days; and though I was carried all the time, the jolting of
+my litter, as we ascended or descended the steep hills, was very
+inconvenient.  But the Indians collected a variety of herbs, and making
+a decoction of them, fomented my leg whenever we stopped, so that the
+swelling gradually subsided, and the pain diminished.
+
+At length we reached a collection of deserted huts, among rugged and
+inaccessible crags, with the snowy peaks of the Andes towering high
+above us.  The lower parts of the mountains were clothed with pine
+trees; and long grass grew on the borders of several streams which run
+through the neighbouring valley.  With the pine trees the Indians formed
+rafters to the cottages, and thatches with the long grass and reeds.  In
+a short time they thus rendered them in some degree habitable.  I
+observed that though my father was allowed to go where he liked, the
+rest of the party were narrowly watched, so that they could not attempt
+to make their escape.  When he spoke to Manco on the subject, and
+expostulated with him on detaining the rest of the travellers, the
+Indian chiefs reply was short but firm.
+
+"It is necessary for the sake of Peru that they should be kept
+prisoners," he observed; "had it not been for you and the padre, they
+would probably have lost their lives.  I can trust you if you will give
+me your oath not to betray what has occurred or what you suspect, but I
+cannot trust them.  When your son is able to move, you shall proceed on
+your journey; but they must remain here till it is safe to set them at
+liberty."
+
+"I do not seek to pry into your secrets, and should be guilty of the
+greatest ingratitude by saying a word even to injure you or your
+people," said my father.  "I am doubly anxious to reach Cuzco, lest my
+family not hearing of me from thence, should become alarmed."
+
+"Write a few lines to assure your family of your safety, and it shall
+reach them long before they could hear from you were you to write from
+our ancient capital.  Trust that to me," answered Manco, and he was
+afterwards found as good as his word.
+
+The observations which the Indian chief let fall made me suspect that
+some plan was forming among the Indians to emancipate themselves from
+the Spanish yoke; and when I mentioned my surmises to my father, I found
+that he was of the same opinion, but he warned me not to mention my
+thoughts to any one.
+
+"The less we know on the subject the better for us," he observed.
+"Living under the protection of the Spanish government, it might be our
+duty to warn them of danger, while it is equally our duty not to betray
+those who have trusted us."
+
+"A curious sort of protection they afford us, when they allow bands of
+robbers, who were near cutting our throats, to scour the country
+unmolested," I answered.  "For my part, I think the Indians would be
+perfectly right to emancipate themselves from the galling chains which
+enthral them."
+
+"But were they to make the attempt, they could not do so," said my
+father.  "The discipline and gold of a civilised people will always in
+the end prevail over a half savage one, in spite of their bravery and
+resolution."
+
+Our conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Manco.  No longer a
+hunted fugitive, he now walked with the air of a chieftain, his costume
+also being that of an Inca noble of old.  Although the dress had long
+been disused, except on festive occasions, he had now assumed it to give
+him greater authority among his countrymen.
+
+We found at the huts a considerable number of women and children, some
+of them belonging to the Indians who were with us, and some, I
+concluded, related to others who were absent.  They were evidently
+collected here to be beyond the reach of the Spaniards, and to avoid the
+flagitious Repartimiento and Meta, the more rigid imposition of which
+was about that time, I knew, causing great discontent among the people.
+The Spaniards, long accustomed to treat the Peruvians as inferior
+beings, destitute alike of feeling and courage, forgot that even a worm
+will at times turn and attempt to bite the foot that presses it.
+
+I had observed at times a larger number of persons than had accompanied
+us to the village; and I remarked several strangers, dressed in skins
+and feathers, who came and went, and again speedily returned, as if they
+had gone only to a short distance.  I told our host that I had observed
+this, and inquired where the people came from.
+
+"From a place where the foot of a white man has never trod," he replied.
+"If you were strong and well.  I might take you to it, and might show
+you wonders you little expect to behold, so fully do I trust; but the
+time may come when, free of danger, I may gratify your curiosity."
+
+I expected that he alluded to one of those ancient villages which I had
+heard of as existing in the heart of the mountains, and never discovered
+by the Spaniards; where the inhabitants had continued in the enjoyment
+of liberty, and the laws and customs of their ancestors.  I had often
+wished to visit one of those remnants of antiquity, and I became doubly
+eager to do so, on finding myself in the proximity of one of them; but
+Manco assured me that it would be utterly impossible to conduct me there
+for a long time to come.
+
+We had now spent a week at the huts, and I was so far recovered as to be
+able to mount a horse and move about on foot with the aid of a stick;
+and as my father was very anxious to proceed on his journey, we agreed
+to start the following day.  On hearing that we were about to depart,
+the other travellers wished to accompany us; but the Indians would not
+hear of it, and, I observed, kept a stricter watch than usual over them.
+Manco showed great unwillingness to part with us.
+
+"Go as you desire it, my friends," he said.  "You are at liberty to do
+as you judge best; but for your own sake, as well as mine, I would have
+had you remain.  However, as go you must, I will send some of my people
+to escort you on your way; and one of them shall follow you as your
+servant till you return home.  He will obey you in all things, but you
+must not blame him if he is absent during a few hours at times from you.
+You must pay him no wages, but you must not send him from you; and if
+you are asked where you found him, say in a mountain village, and that
+he wished to come with you to see the world."
+
+The next morning our new attendant made his appearance.  He was a small,
+active-looking man, of a lightish rusty-red colour.  His dress was much
+as is usually worn at the present day, consisting of loose trousers of
+coarse brown cloth, fastened round the waist by a girdle, and a woollen
+shirt of a dark blue colour.  His poncho, which served as his outer
+garment, was of alpaca wool of the same hue as his shirt; and on his
+head he wore a broad-brimmed hat, while his sandals were of untanned
+leather, just covering his toes, and secured by a thong round the ankle.
+He took charge of a mule laden with our clothes and a supply of
+provisions.
+
+Manco took an affectionate farewell of us as we were mounting our horses
+at the door of the hut.  He pressed our hands as he said--
+
+"We may meet again, dear friends, at some future time, when the children
+of the sun may dare to lift up their heads in the land where their
+fathers ruled.  Till then, farewell."
+
+We found, a little farther on, a band of a hundred men, well armed with
+muskets and rifles, ready to escort us; and a young man of the Inca
+family, their leader, told us that they were to accompany us to help us
+to cross the difficult barriers which surrounded the spot we were in,
+and to watch us till we reached the neighbourhood of Cuzco.
+
+Accustomed as I was to mountain scenery, I should not before have
+thought it possible for any four-footed animals to climb up the rugged
+precipices, over which the Indians led and pushed our horses and mules.
+In some places they were literally hauled up with ropes, and let down
+again on the other side.  My kind guides assisted me up and down also,
+though I had nearly recovered my usual strength.  A number of streams
+crossed our path, adding not a little to its difficulties.
+
+Our animals were generally driven into the water and compelled to swim
+across, being then hauled up on the other side.  We passed by means of a
+curious kind of bridge called a Huano.  It was formed of a thick rope,
+which is carried by means of a lighter line across the chasm.  The
+lighter line was carried across by some powerful swimmer, or by a man
+holding on to the mane of one of the horses or mules.  On the rope ran a
+roller, to which was fastened a piece of wood, and to the wood the
+passenger was secured; the transit was made more easy by two light
+lines, by which the piece of wood was drawn from side to side.  Several
+of the Indians went first across.  I watched them in their dizzy
+transit, and I thought, if the rope breaks, what will become of them?
+When it came to my turn to cross, I held my head as high as I could, and
+crossed my legs over the thick rope, which I grasped with my hands.  I
+did not dare to turn to look into the deep gulf below; for strong as my
+nerves were, I felt that if I did, I should have let go my hold.  I was
+not sorry to find my head knocking against the shrubs and rocks on the
+opposite side.  My father followed me; and then the whole body, one by
+one, passed over.  Having got into rather less intricate country, the
+captain of our escort told us that from this place forward we must no
+longer remain in company, though he had orders from his chief to watch
+us till all probability of danger was past.
+
+Accordingly, my father and I, and our new Indian servant, prepared to
+proceed alone.  We were still several days' journey from Cuzco.  We
+slept as before at those most wretched of all inns the Indian tambos,
+though wherever we stopped we could not help remarking that we were
+treated with more than usual kindness and respect, which we suspected
+was owing to our being under the special protection of their chief.
+That also we were not deserted by our guardians, we had reason to know.
+On more than one occasion I had observed one or two figures hovering on
+the brow of some hill, or appearing from behind trees, bushes, or rocks.
+I perceived once one of them started up close to us.  I pointed him out
+to our attendant, who had likewise seen him.  With a significant look he
+answered, "Fear not them--they will not injure us."
+
+We encountered but few travellers, and I do not recollect any other
+occurrence worthy of being narrated daring our journey.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE.
+
+CUZCO DESCRIBED--WE ARE MADE PRISONERS--ANXIETY FOR THOSE AT HOME.
+
+"Behold Cuzco!" exclaimed our Indian guide, as, throwing himself from
+his horse, he knelt in adoration of the glorious luminary, whose rays
+were just then throwing a mantle of gold over the crumbling walls of a
+mighty fortress, which protected the holy city of his ancestors, the
+capital of the Incas.
+
+We had just reached the brow of an elevated ridge which forms one side
+of the fertile and extensive valley in which Cuzco stands, built, like
+ancient Rome, on a number of hills or slight rises.  To the north of the
+city, on the summit of a lofty eminence, appeared the still dark and
+frowning fortress of Cyclopean architecture, composed of stones of vast
+magnitude.  When I afterwards visited it, I was surprised to find the
+extraordinary nicety with which, without any cement, they were joined
+together; and I cannot tell with what machinery the Peruvians could have
+raised blocks so enormous to such heights, or how they could have fitted
+them, shaped as they are in so many various forms, with exactness so
+remarkable.  Had I believed in the existence of giants, I should have
+supposed that they alone could have lifted such vast masses into the
+positions they hold.  Many of the modern residences of the conquerors
+stand on the foundations of the ancient buildings of the Peruvians, and
+from among them we saw towering upwards the spires and towers of the
+magnificent cathedral, of the convents of Saint Augustine and La Merced,
+and of a number of other fine churches.  We had not long to contemplate
+this scene of the ruins of the past and of modern splendour, as it was
+necessary to reach the city before dark; and the setting sun warned us
+that we had not much time to lose.  We were questioned, when we entered,
+whence we had come; but before we could speak, our Indian attendant
+stepped forward and gave an answer that satisfied the guard, and we
+passed on.
+
+The inn we went to was the best in the city, but it could boast of
+affording us little comfort, though, as we were accustomed to rough
+fare, that mattered little.  At daybreak I was on foot, as I was anxious
+to see the city; and with our Indian attendant as my guide, I wandered
+through the larger portion of it before breakfast.  We reached a
+collection of ruined walls, composed of huge masses of rock.
+
+"On this spot," said the Indian, bending reverentially towards the sun,
+just then rising over the walls of the city, "stood the great temple
+where our fathers worshipped the God in whom they trusted; away to the
+right, where now those convent walls appear, were the residences of the
+beautiful virgins of the sun; and in these fields of corn and lucerne
+which surround us were once laid out the magnificent gardens of the
+temple, filled with menageries of all the animals of our country, with
+aviaries of birds of many-coloured plumage, with fountains, and trees,
+and flowers, and ornaments of vast size, of gold and silver and precious
+stones, many in the form of the shrubs and plants among which they
+stood, and of workmanship so admirable that they seemed to vie with them
+in elegance and beauty.  But the greedy spoiler came, and behold,
+stranger, what he made it!  Alas! this garden is but an example of the
+condition to which our unhappy country has been reduced."
+
+The Indian was silent, and seemed lost in gloomy reflection.  I, too,
+thought of the past; and as I did so, the magnificent Temple of the Sun
+appeared before me, with its walls resplendent with the golden ornaments
+which surrounded them, and its wide courts crowded with votaries in
+their many-coloured costumes and head-dresses and robes of feathers,
+eagerly watching for the rising of the luminary they worshipped.  I
+fancied I could hear their voices, and could see the mighty mass below
+me, their plumes waving in the breeze as they joined the joyous shout
+raised by their friends above them.
+
+"Yes, a day of bitter retribution will ere long arrive," exclaimed my
+companion.  The deep, low, and concentrated tone of his voice roused me
+from my reveries, he appeared unconscious that he had spoken.  "Come,
+sir," he said, "we will proceed."
+
+As I walked through the streets of Cuzco.  I was struck with the air of
+antiquity which many of the buildings wore; and I could not help
+regretting the worse than Gothic cruelty and ignorance of the Spaniards,
+which had destroyed the numberless magnificent edifices of its former
+inhabitants.  We spent three days in the city, and on the fourth took
+our departure, accompanied by Ithulpo.  I learned that twenty leagues
+only from the city commence the territories of the unsubdued Indians,
+who will allow no stranger to enter their country.  As I looked towards
+the distant mountains which form their bulwarks, I fancied that it must
+be a land full of romance and interest, and I longed to penetrate into
+it.  I was before long to have my wish gratified, through means I little
+contemplated.
+
+Our course was, however, now in a contrary direction, north and west,
+towards the sea.  We had proceeded two days' journey, when, at the
+urgent request of Ithulpo, we turned aside to rest at a town among the
+mountains.
+
+"It is inhabited chiefly by my people," he observed.  "To-morrow they
+perform a ceremony, at which I wish to assist, and which you will like
+to behold."
+
+We ascended by a narrow and winding path among the mountains to the
+town, where we were lodged in the best house it possessed, and where the
+inhabitants vied with each other in paying us attention.  The next
+morning, when I went out, I was surprised to see the place crowded with
+Indians dressed in the ancient costume of the country, of which
+certainly the pictures I have since seen in England and France do not
+give at all a correct idea.  They wore feather head-dresses, and their
+cloaks and trains were likewise trimmed with feathers; and if not quite
+so picturesque, were more suited to their convenience than the scanty
+feather kilts in which they are made to appear.  Having breakfasted, my
+father and I followed the crowd at a little distance to see what was
+going to occur.  Among them we observed, raised above their heads, a
+gaily ornamented litter or covered palanquin, in which sat a person
+richly dressed with the regal border or red fringe of the Incas on his
+head.  We learnt that he was intended to represent Atahualpa.  On
+pressed the crowd with shouts and songs towards a large square before
+us; there they halted, when from some buildings in which they had been
+concealed, appeared another party dressed in armour with guns in their
+hands, and one or two small pieces of cannon following them.  They all
+wore masks, and were intended to represent Spaniards.  One more hideous
+than the rest was evidently Pizarro, and by his side stood the priest
+Vicente de Yalverde.  They approached the litter, and the monk addressed
+the Inca in a long harangue.  Atahualpa replied, when a terrific shriek
+was heard; the litter was overthrown, and the Inca was dragged among the
+Spaniards.  A mock combat took place, but the Indians were driven back;
+and then arose the most melancholy cries and groans ever heard.  It was
+no imitated grief, for to such a pitch had they worked up their
+imaginations, that they really fancied that their Inca was again torn
+from them.  At last they retired, and a new scene in the drama
+commenced.
+
+A number of Spaniards came forth from the building to which they had
+carried off the Inca, and seated themselves as if holding a council.
+Atahualpa was next brought out.  He stood, with downcast looks and hands
+bound, before his judges, waiting his doom.  One man only pleaded his
+cause, the others brought forth numberless arguments for his
+condemnation--a good satire on those by which the real Inca was judged
+to be worthy of death.  At length one standing up, pronounced the
+representative Atahualpa guilty, ordering him to immediate execution.
+No sooner were the words uttered, than there arose from the crowd such
+shrieks and cries, that I could scarcely believe them to be feigned.
+Amid them the Inca was led to the place of execution, already prepared,
+where stood a man with ferocious aspect with an axe uplifted in his
+hands.  The axe fell, and while the cries and groans increased, as I saw
+a bloody head lifted up before me, I thought for an instant that the man
+had really been killed.  I soon, however, saw that the bloody head was
+merely a block of wood, while a piece of cloth was thrown over the
+person who had represented the Inca to conceal him from view.  The
+Indians, however, appeared to be as deeply affected with grief as if
+they had really just seen their beloved monarch slaughtered before their
+eyes, to such a pitch were their imaginations worked up by the scene
+which had been acted.  Had I not witnessed what I describe, I could
+scarcely have believed it possible; and as the Cholas sang their songs
+of mourning, the tears streamed down their cheeks, the groans seemed to
+come from the hearts of the men, and every countenance wore an
+expression of the most profound sorrow.  Just at that moment I saw a man
+hurrying up the path which led into the village from the valley below.
+Almost breathless with exertion, he uttered a few words to the first he
+met.  His communication flew like lightning among the crowd.  They
+scattered in every direction, as if a thunderbolt had fallen among them.
+Masks were torn off and hastily concealed, dresses were changed, and
+the block and axe, and all the things connected with the representation,
+were carried away, while the people ran along the streets, and shut
+themselves up in their houses in evident fright.
+
+We were not long in ascertaining the cause of the commotion.  As I
+watched the approach to the town, I caught sight of the bayonet and
+shako of a soldier rising above the brow of a hill.  Another and another
+followed, till about twenty men and two Spanish officers formed in the
+square of the town.  That they had come for no good purpose, was soon
+made manifest by their charging a small party of the Indians who had
+neglected to escape from the square.  So unexpected was the attack, that
+some were captured, while others were cruelly wounded before they could
+conceal themselves.  The soldiers having thus whetted their thirst for
+blood, hurried from cottage to cottage, breaking open the doors and
+dragging out the terrified inmates.  Those who were found with a mask,
+or any portion of the ancient Indian costume about them, proving that
+they had taken part in the forbidden representation, were without mercy
+shot, in spite of the entreaties and cries of their wives and children.
+A considerable number were also dragged from their huts and bound
+together with ropes, preparatory to being carried off as prisoners.
+
+We had hitherto remained concealed in the house where we had rested for
+the night, and which had been unvisited by the soldiers.  Had we been
+able to leave the village unobserved, we would gladly have done so to
+avoid contact with the troops, though we had no reason to apprehend
+ill-treatment from them.  My father had desired Ithulpo to have our
+horses and baggage ready to start at a moment's notice.  While we
+remained shut up in the house, we could only judge of what was going on
+by the sounds we heard.  The shots and cries had grown fainter, and
+thinking that the soldiers must have got to a distance, we considered
+this a good opportunity to set out.  Ithulpo had been watching them
+through a hole in the wall of an enclosure, at a little distance from
+the cottage within which our animals were to be kept ready.  I looked
+cautiously out of the door of the cottage, and seeing no one near, I ran
+round to where Ithulpo was posted.  I told him that we were ready to
+start.
+
+"I was coming to tell you that now is our time to start," he replied.
+"I wish that I was certain that all the soldiers are together, for I am
+afraid that some may be left to guard the outlet to the village; but we
+must run the risk."
+
+We accordingly brought the horses round.  Our baggage was soon strapped
+on, and mounting immediately, we set off at a brisk pace, followed by
+the well-wishes of our host, towards the only outlet to the village.
+Several houses were in flames, and more than one apparently dead Indian
+met our view.  A short hour had made a sad change in the peaceful
+village, which now looked as if it had been stormed and sacked by a
+cruel enemy.  We had no time to stop to examine whether any of the
+prostrate forms we saw were still alive, so we pushed on.  Just,
+however, as we reached the top of the pathway down the mountain, a party
+of soldiers, with an officer at their head, appeared suddenly before us.
+It was impossible to escape notice, so we attempted to pass them.
+
+"Stop!" cried the officer, presenting a pistol.  "Who are you?"
+
+"English travellers, on the road to Lima," answered my father.
+
+"Say rather English abettors of rebels," exclaimed the officer fiercely.
+"We find you in a village encouraging the ignorant people by your
+presence to break the law.  You are our prisoners."
+
+My father pleaded in vain that we had no intention of breaking the law,
+or encouraging others to do so.
+
+"You may make your excuse to the government of Lima," answered the
+officer; and he ordered us to remain where we were on pain of being
+shot.
+
+A number of prisoners were collected together, and we had no doubt that
+he had heard from one of them of our being present at the forbidden
+ceremony we had witnessed.  The bugle now sounded the recall, and soon
+afterwards the rest of the soldiers returned, dragging after them a
+number more of wretched prisoners.  They appeared to be the principal
+people in the village; and whether guilty or not of the crimes charged
+against them, they were dragged away from their homes, to undergo more
+suffering on their road to their place of trial than they would deserve
+even if proved guilty.
+
+The unhappy men were lashed together by the wrists two and two, all
+being likewise joined by a single stout rope; while blows and curses
+urged them on if they did not move fast enough to please their tyrants.
+Had the inhabitants of the village united bravely, they might have
+overpowered the soldiers and rescued their friends; but terror-stricken,
+they were afraid to show themselves.
+
+Neither my father nor I were in any way molested, but a soldier was
+placed on each side of us and our Indian attendant, with orders to shoot
+us if we attempted to escape, a command they seemed very ready to obey.
+The word was then given to move on, and we commenced our descent of the
+mountain, a body of eight soldiers bringing up the rear.  We addressed
+the officers several times to learn why we were thus treated, but the
+only answer the one in command deigned to make was--
+
+"You are found in communication with rebel Indians, and there are
+suspicions against you."
+
+I thought of our having aided the escape of the Indian chief Manco, and
+feared that by some means the circumstance might have become known.  If
+such were the case, I trembled for the safety of my dear mother and
+brothers and sisters.  I thought of all the insults and annoyance to
+which they must have been subjected while our house was being searched,
+and my father's papers and books being examined, which I knew they would
+be, by the officers of justice.  I did not, however, communicate my
+thoughts to my father, as I felt that if it suggested the same idea to
+him, it would cause him much pain and anxiety.
+
+I endeavoured therefore, as we rode on, to amuse him by conversation;
+but I am afraid I succeeded very ill.  Ithulpo was very gloomy and
+silent, evidently brooding over the wrongs his countrymen had so long
+endured, and were still receiving, from their oppressors.  At the foot
+of the mountain we found another party of soldiers concealed in a wood,
+and guarding the horses of our escort.  The whole then mounted; and as
+we proceeded at a more rapid rate, the captive Indians were goaded on
+more cruelly to keep up with us.  Ithulpo still said not a word; but as
+his eyes were now and then turned towards his countrymen, I observed
+that looks of intelligence were exchanged between them.  Some shrieked
+with pain; others returned glances of rage at their tormentors; a few
+almost fainted, till stirred up again to proceed; and two, who had been
+wounded, actually dropped down, and as they were left in the rear, the
+report of musketry told what had been their fate.  The fear of a similar
+catastrophe deterred others from giving in while they had any strength
+remaining to drag onwards their weary limbs.
+
+My father's kind heart was bursting with indignation and grief; but from
+the surly answers he received, he saw that it would be hopeless to plead
+for the unhappy beings.
+
+"A day of bitter retribution will come, ere long, for this tyranny," he
+observed.  "Such conduct must arouse even the most long-enduring from
+their apathy.  Even as it is, how entirely has Spain failed to reap any
+benefit from her apparently glorious conquest of this new world! or
+rather, I may say, from the mode in which that conquest was conducted,
+it has brought on her a heavy curse instead of a blessing.  Since she
+gained America, she has gradually declined in wealth, intelligence, and
+power; and if I mistake not the signs of the times, these beautiful
+provinces will soon be wrested from her, though, alas, the seeds of
+misgovernment and bigotry which she planted, will take ages more to
+eradicate."
+
+Subsequent events, as my readers know, proved the correctness of my
+father's observations.  Spain no longer holds sway over any part of the
+American continent; and the colonies she has planted, ever since
+constantly plunged in civil war and anarchy, have been far outstripped
+in civilisation by those peopled by the Anglo-Saxon race.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX.
+
+ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT--THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED.
+
+Our journey was irksome and disagreeable in the extreme.  We marched on
+each day as long as the horses and men could move; and we rested at
+night, sometimes in farm-houses, or in the public _tambos_; but
+frequently we took shelter within the ruins of forts or other buildings,
+and often we were obliged to sleep on the hard ground, with our saddles
+for our pillows and the starlit sky above our heads.  As it was the
+height of summer, this mattered little.  We suffered, however, much from
+the heat in the day-time, and we were compelled frequently to dismount
+to lead our horses over the rugged places we had to pass.  Day after day
+the poor captives dropped through fatigue, till their numbers were much
+thinned; but still we pushed on.  We passed through a number of Indian
+villages, the inhabitants of which looked out from their mat doors with
+sad eyes on their unhappy countrymen; and we now discovered that the
+object of the Spaniards in carrying them on was to strike terror into
+the hearts of the people.  When governors cannot manage a people so as
+to gain their love, they attempt to rule them through their fears; but
+such a government is never of long duration, and must ultimately bring
+destruction on itself.  We had marched for three days without finding
+any habitations, when I saw the officers holding consultation together,
+and evidently much perplexed.  A halt was ordered, and inquiries made if
+anybody knew the road.  We had lost our way.  The Indians had no
+knowledge of that part of the country, nor had any of the soldiers.  I
+detected a gleam of intelligence in the countenance of Ithulpo, which
+made me suspect that he could give the desired information if he chose;
+but when asked, he denied all knowledge of the way.  We took shelter
+that night within the walls of a ruined village, which, from its
+appearance, I judged had not been inhabited since the time of the
+conquest, except as a temporary abode in the same manner as we used it.
+It must have been a place of some extent, but the greater part was
+concealed by trees and shrubs, and creeping plants, which had grown up
+among the walls.  Most of the buildings were of sun-dried bricks; but
+others, within one of which we were placed, were of masses of stone,
+like the fortress of Cuzco.  It had probably been the residence of a
+chief or noble.  It seemed strange that the Spaniards should not have
+known so remarkable a spot; but though they did not, I was certain that
+the Indians were well acquainted with it.
+
+The prisoners were all driven together like a flock of sheep within one
+of the enclosures, and a sentry was placed over them, with orders to
+shoot any who might attempt to escape.  After the horses had been
+picketed in a grassy spot close to the ruins, the soldiers lighted their
+fires to dress their evening meal, while the two officers sat themselves
+down on a fragment of stone and smoked their cigars, taking no notice of
+us.  Our horses and luggage mule had been placed with the others under a
+guard; so they thought, I suppose, that we should not attempt to escape.
+Meantime my father and I sat at a little distance, watching the
+proceedings of our very unwelcome companions, while Ithulpo stood near,
+casting every now and then towards them glances expressive of the most
+intense hatred, and a desire of vengeance.  The sun was still low, but
+his rays yet tinged the topmost branches of the trees and the lofty
+ranges of mountains in the distance.  The soldiers had brought skins of
+wine and plenty of good cheer with them; and when they had eaten, they
+passed the wine-skins round right merrily, the officers joining in the
+carouse.  Instead of pouring the wine into cups, they lifted the skins
+high above their heads, and without touching the vessel to their lips,
+allowed the wine to run down their throat in a gentle stream.  As we
+were close enough to them to be easily watched, the officers, I suppose,
+thought that we should not attempt to move away.  Ithulpo had stowed a
+sort of knapsack he carried with some dried meat and bread, which he now
+produced, and it served to satisfy our appetites; but we had no wine,
+and our surly guards did not deign to offer us any.
+
+"Do not repine, sirs, at the want," he observed.  "I will show you a
+pure stream, the water of which, ere to-morrow's sun has set, those
+soldiers will value more than the finest wine their country can
+produce."
+
+The sun went down, and the shades of night came rapidly on, but still
+the Spaniards continued their debauch.  They had apparently forgotten us
+and their other prisoners; for though by the light of their fires we
+could clearly see them, sitting as we were under the shadow of a wall,
+we were no longer visible to them.  Ithulpo came and sat himself down
+beside me.
+
+"Could we not manage to get away from these people?"  I asked in a
+whisper.
+
+"Not now," he answered.  "The sentries would give the alarm if we
+attempted to take the horses, and without them we cannot move.
+To-morrow we shall have a better opportunity, and we may help some of my
+poor countrymen to escape at the same time."
+
+"Why do you expect that a good opportunity to escape will occur?"  I
+inquired.
+
+"I cannot at present reply to your question," he said.  "Those who now
+guard us will no longer be able to do so.  Trust to me.  You will enter
+Lima as free men, and no one will appear as a witness against you, to
+support the false accusation these people have made."
+
+I forbore to question him further, but there was something very
+mysterious in his look and manner; and at first the horrid idea occurred
+to me that he had by some means contrived to poison the Spaniards, for
+otherwise I could not account for the confidence with which he
+pronounced his prediction.  However, I endeavoured to banish the
+suspicion as too dreadful to be entertained.  At length the commanding
+officer seemed to recollect that he had duties to attend to.  Fresh
+guards were set over the prisoners and the horses, wood was collected
+and the fires were made up, and a sentinel was posted near the spot,
+under shelter of a wall, which we had selected for our place of rest.
+Ithulpo got leave to bring us our saddles and horse-trappings to serve
+us for beds, and he likewise brought us our portmanteaus and
+saddle-bags, which he placed near us.  The soldiers threw themselves on
+the ground, and were very soon fast asleep.  Our sentry also, from the
+manner his head every now and then gave a sharp nod, was evidently very
+drowsy.  The heat of the weather, the exertion he had undergone, and the
+wine he had drunk, were quite enough to account for this.  I also at
+last fell asleep.  My eyes had been closed for about a couple of hours,
+when I was awakened by Ithulpo touching my shoulder.  I sat up, and
+observed that he had the wine-skins emptied by the soldiers hanging on
+his arm.
+
+"Follow me," he whispered.  "We are not going to escape; but you are
+thirsty, and I will show you a pure spring, where you may drink your
+fill, and you will be better able to endure the heat of to-morrow's
+sun."
+
+Silently following him, as he led the way among the ruins, I found that
+we had reached a thick and apparently impenetrable wood.  Without
+stopping, however, he went direct to a spot where the branches yielded
+easily to his hand.  A winding path appeared before us, proceeding along
+which, we arrived in an open forest glade.  On one side rose a high
+rock, which seemed part of a range of cliffs forming the side of a
+mountain.  The murmuring sound of water met my ear, and by the faint
+starlight I discovered a stream gushing forth from the rock, and finding
+its way in a narrow rivulet through the glade.
+
+"The white man thinks that the discovery of a gold mine will bring him
+all the wealth he can desire; but the time has come when he would gladly
+exchange all the gold and silver hidden within yon mountains for one
+draught of that pure stream," muttered Ithulpo, as I stooped my head to
+drink at the fountain.  "Drink--drink while you can," he continued in
+the same low tone.  "It is more than wealth, it is life itself; it
+fertilises, it invigorates, it cleanses, it blesses.  Without it the
+world would be but a sterile desert, unfit for the habitation of man;
+while gold, which the white men value so much, has ever proved the curse
+of our country.  They value it because they think it scarce, while we,
+who know the deep mines where in vast heaps it lies hid from their
+sight, place it at its true worth, below iron and copper, or even silver
+or tin."
+
+While Ithulpo was thus speaking, he was employed in washing out and
+filling the skins he had brought with water.  I also filled a couple of
+flasks with the pure fluid.  We then retraced our steps by the way we
+had come, I assisting him in carrying the somewhat heavy burden.  We
+reached the camp unobserved by the drowsy sentries.  I was wondering
+what the Indian intended doing with the skins, when, begging me to lie
+down and rest, he took up two of the skins, and crept cautiously away
+towards the enclosure where his countrymen were confined.  After a
+little time he returned, and again took the path to the fountain to
+replenish the skins.  I was afraid he would have been discovered, but he
+went about the work so cautiously and silently, that he altogether
+escaped the observation of the sentries.  After he had given the
+prisoners all the water they required, he came back to where we were
+lying, and threw himself on the ground near us.  The rest of the night
+passed quietly away; and notwithstanding the painful position in which
+we were placed, I slept soundly.  I was aroused by the sound of a bugle,
+and found the soldiers getting under arms and preparing to march.  Our
+baggage was replaced by Ithulpo, who I saw watched it carefully.  The
+men mounted, the prisoners were dragged out from their resting-place,
+and we commenced our day's journey.
+
+An extensive plain was before us, with a few rugged and barren heights
+scattered over it.  As we proceeded vegetation grew more and more
+scanty, till after we had marched scarcely half a mile, it ceased
+altogether.  We had slept, we found, on the borders of a desert.  The
+ground was at first composed of a mixture of rock and clay, over which
+the sea had evidently rolled in former ages; but as we proceeded it
+became more loose and broken, till it changed into a soft shifting sand,
+into which our horses' feet sank deep at every step they made.
+
+The poor prisoners, already worn out with their long journey, appeared
+scarcely able to drag on their weary limbs through it.  Of its extent we
+were unable to judge, but the commander seemed to fancy that in a short
+time we should reach firmer and more fertile ground, where we should
+find water and halt to breakfast.  The sun, which rose in a cloudless
+sky on our right, showed that we were proceeding in the direction we
+wished to follow--towards the north.
+
+"Forward, my men," shouted the officer.  "In an hour or two we shall be
+out of this ill-conditioned spot, and find rest and refreshment."
+
+The soldiers lighted their cigars and urged on their horses, while they
+dealt their blows freely on the backs of the Indians to quicken their
+speed.
+
+I observed a peculiar smile on the countenance of Ithulpo, as the
+officer spoke of soon reaching a place of rest.  Our attendant had, I
+found, managed to distribute a supply of the highly prized cacao among
+his countrymen; and while their features wore a look of sullen
+indifference as they received the ill-merited blows, I remarked that
+they seemed to bear up against the fatigue better than they had before
+done.  As the sun rose higher the heat increased, till it became almost
+insupportable.  The officers spoke earnestly together for some time, and
+were evidently growing anxious as to the road we were taking.  At length
+their voices grew louder and louder, as if disputing on the point, for
+there was very little semblance of discipline among them.  Then they
+called up several of their men one after the other, but could not gain
+the information they required.  Some of the prisoners were next brought
+up, but they either could not or would not say whether we were pursuing
+the proper course, their countenances assuming an expression of the most
+perfect ignorance and apathy.  Still we pushed on, the Spaniards trying
+to urge their horses still faster through the heavy sand.  Before us
+rose a bright glittering haze, through which objects every now and then
+appeared seemingly in the far distance--hills, and trees, and rocks, and
+lakes, and streams of pure water; but as we advanced they vanished, and
+a few barren mounds and loose stones alone were found, while the
+supposed water was altogether a mocking deception.  To the right hand
+and to the left, the same inhospitable desert seemed to stretch out far
+away; and we had already advanced so deeply into it, that the officers
+probably supposed that there would be as much risk in returning as in
+going on.  On therefore we went, the soldiers having no mercy on the
+prisoners, whom they urged forward, whenever they attempted to slacken
+their pace, with the points of their swords, till the blood trickled in
+streams down the backs of these miserable beings.  We were riding just
+behind the main body of the soldiers, followed by Ithulpo and the
+baggage mules.  The generous, kind heart of my father was almost
+bursting with indignation, as he saw this piece of cruelty.
+
+At last, as an Indian more weary than the rest sunk to the ground, and a
+soldier was about to plunge his sword into his body, he could restrain
+himself no longer.
+
+"Hold, wretch!" he exclaimed.  "Add not murder to your cruelty."
+
+The soldier, taken by surprise, did not strike the fatal blow till his
+horse had carried him past the fainting Indian; but, balked of his prey,
+his anger was kindled against my father, and turning round, he made a
+cut at him with his sword.  Fortunately I carried a heavy riding-whip,
+with which I was able to parry the blow.  The man did not attempt to
+repeat it, for the junior officer turning round, observed the act, and
+called him to order; but it showed us what we were to expect if we
+excited the anger of our captors.  I could not withstand the despairing
+look the poor wretch cast on us as he thought we were about to pass him
+and to leave him to his fate; so throwing myself from my horse, I lifted
+his head from the ground.  My father stopped also, and so did Ithulpo.
+
+"On, on!" shouted the rear-guard of the Spaniards.  "On, or we will fire
+at you."
+
+"We will follow immediately," replied my father.  "On my word of
+honour--on the word of an Englishman."
+
+The Spaniards had never known that word broken, so they allowed us to
+stop to help the Indian.  One of our baggage mules was lightly laden,
+and in spite of the threats of the soldiers we lifted him upon it.  I
+had, as I mentioned, filled a small spirit-flask with water, and unseen
+I poured a few drops down his parched throat.  This much revived him,
+and by urging on our animals, we were soon able to overtake the already
+weary horses of the Spaniards.
+
+The time for breakfast had long since passed, but still no signs of a
+resting-place appeared.  On the contrary, the sand became finer and
+deeper, and the dreary expanse before us seemed to lengthen out to the
+horizon.  As the sun also rose higher in the sky, his unobstructed rays
+darted down with greater force upon our heads.  There had been a slight
+breeze in the morning, blowing fresh from over the snowy summits of the
+Cordilleras; but that had now died entirely away, and not a breath of
+air stirred the stagnant atmosphere.  The heat at length became almost
+insupportable, while our eyes could scarcely bear the glare of the sun
+on the white glittering sand.
+
+To do the Spaniards credit, they bore up bravely for a long time against
+the heat and thirst and fatigue which assailed them.  The horses,
+however, which had only been scantily supplied with water the night
+before, began to knock up--their ears dropped, their heads hung down,
+and their respiration became thick and fast.  Ithulpo had supplied my
+father and me with cacao, by chewing a piece of which occasionally, we
+avoided any feeling of hunger; and as we also wetted our lips, when they
+became parched, with the water from our flasks, we did not suffer much
+from thirst.  Still the sensation of oppression and fatigue was very
+painful.  We received too, ere long, a warning of what might be our
+fate, in the spectacle which met our sight.  The sun had reached his
+meridian height, and was descending towards the waters of the Pacific,
+and still it appeared that we had made no more progress than in the
+morning, when we came upon the bleached bones of several mules and
+horses, and by their side appeared, just rising above the sand, the
+skeletons of three human beings.  It appeared as if they had all been
+struck down together by the same fiery blast.  The soldiers, as we
+passed, turned their looks aside, without uttering a word, each one
+feeling that he might shortly become like those ghastly remnants of
+mortality.  I observed that the heads of the animals were all turned
+towards the south, by which I judged that thus they had probably
+travelled over a greater distance of the burning desert than we had yet
+passed, so that we were yet not half over our difficulties.
+
+"Those skeletons show that we are on the high road across the desert," I
+remarked to my father.
+
+"I am afraid not, David," he answered.  "They may have lost their way,
+and we have stumbled on them by chance."
+
+Such, I at once saw, was too likely to be the case.
+
+The gauze-like mist of which I had before spoken, now appeared to grow
+more dense, and to lose its transparent appearance; at the same time
+that the rays of the sun struck down with fiercer heat, and the
+atmosphere grew more stagnant and oppressive.  Some of the soldiers had
+lighted their cigars, in the hope that the fumes of tobacco would
+alleviate their thirst; and as the tiny jets of smoke left their mouths,
+they went straight up towards the sky, not a breath existing to blow
+them aside.  Suddenly, as I turned my head to the left, I saw what
+appeared to be a dark cloud rising from the earth.  I pointed it out to
+my father.  Ithulpo had at the same time observed it.
+
+"Muffle up your heads in your ponchos, and push on for the love of
+life," he exclaimed.  "It is the sand-drift swept before a whirlwind.
+On! on! or it will overwhelm us!"
+
+It was indeed an object to appal the stoutest heart.  On it came, like a
+black wall, rising higher and higher, and curling over our heads, till
+the sky and the sun himself were obscured.  The soldiers saw it and
+trembled, for they knew its deadly power; whole regiments had before
+been buried beneath that heavy canopy.  Their only chance of safety,
+they fancied, was to gallop through it.  With frantic energy they dug
+their spurs into the sides of their panting steeds.  They no longer
+thought of their miserable prisoners.  Without a sensation of
+commiseration, they left them to the dreadful fate they themselves
+strove to escape.  Neither could we do anything for them: if we stopped,
+we also should lose our lives.  As we followed the soldiers, we found
+the Indians all huddled together, with looks of despair on their
+countenances, watching the approach of the sand-drift.  They had no
+prospect of extricating themselves either; for the Spaniards had not
+even cut the cords which bound them all together.  I glanced at the
+black wall of sand; it was still some way off.  Could I leave my
+fellow-creatures thus to perish horribly, without an attempt to save
+them?  No burning thirst, thanks to Ithulpo's precautions, had yet dried
+up the sympathies of my heart.
+
+"What are you going to do, David?" asked my father, as he saw me throw
+myself from my horse.
+
+"To give these poor fellows a chance of life," I answered, drawing out
+my knife, and cutting away at their cords.
+
+"Your mother and sisters, my lad, must not be forgotten," he muttered;
+"but stay, I will help you."
+
+As he said this he set to work to release the Indians, in which we were
+directly joined by Ithulpo; the rear-guard, as they passed by, bestowing
+many curses and threats of vengeance on our heads for our interference;
+but they were too anxious to save their own lives to prevent us.
+Scarcely a minute was lost.
+
+"Mount! mount! and ride on!" cried Ithulpo.
+
+Throwing our knives to the Indians, we leaped on our horses, and again
+followed the direction we supposed the soldiers had taken.  We had not
+proceeded many yards when the wall of sand seemed to wheel round like an
+extended line of infantry, and then to advance at double speed.  To
+escape it by galloping from it was now hopeless; so we turned our
+horses' heads to face it.  As we did so, a clear break appeared in one
+part.
+
+"Let us make for yonder lighter spot," shouted my father.
+
+We did so.  On came the dark wall; the sand swept by us, whirling round
+and round our heads, blinding our eyes, and filling our ears and
+nostrils.  It was with difficulty even that we could breathe, as with
+each respiration our mouths became choked with the sand.  I endeavoured,
+as well as I was able, to keep close to my father, though for a time it
+was only by our voices, as we shouted to each other, that we were aware
+of each other's position.  We did our utmost to keep our horses' heads
+in the direction the sand-storm came from, that we might the more
+speedily pass through it.  They breasted it bravely, though their
+thick-drawn breath showed the pain they suffered; but they seemed to be
+as well aware as ourselves of the necessity of exertion.  It was with
+difficulty, however, that we could even keep our seats, as, with our
+hats pressed over our eyes, our ponchos drawn tight around us, and our
+bodies bent down over their necks, we encouraged them to proceed with
+bit and rein.  We were making all the time, in reality, but little real
+progress, as I soon discovered; their utmost exertion being required to
+lift their legs out of the sand, which was rapidly collecting round us.
+
+On a sudden, a dark mass swept towards us.  I know not how it was,--I
+believe I must have turned to my right,--I kept calling to my father as
+before; but oh, what horror--what agony seized my soul when he did not
+answer! and as I endeavoured to pierce the thick mass of sand which
+surrounded me, I could nowhere see him.  I could not tell which way to
+turn.  I felt lost and bewildered, and I believed that my last moment
+had arrived--a dreadful death was to be my lot.  I did not regard
+myself; it was for my noble father I felt.  "O that I could have died
+with him!"  I thought.  My brave horse, however, still exerted himself
+to save his own life and mine, when I had ceased to care what became of
+me, by continuing to lift his feet above the overwhelming sand-drifts.
+My only wish was to find my father; but so completely was I bewildered
+that I knew not whether to turn to the right hand or to the left.  His
+horse might have sunk down, I thought, and then in a few moments he
+would for ever have been covered up from mortal sight; or, overcome with
+fatigue and the suffocating atmosphere, he might have fallen, and been
+unable to regain his steed.  Or happily he might have passed through the
+sand-drift in safety, and have been all the time suffering with anxiety
+for my sake.  But this hope was very transient; the predominant feeling
+was that my father was lost, and that I was about to share his fate.  I
+was thus giving way to despair, when I was aware of a considerable
+decrease in the density of the sand-laden atmosphere; the last breath of
+the fierce whirlwind passed by; the sun shone forth bright and clear,
+and I stood alone amid a sea of glittering sand.  Oh, with what an
+aching anxious heart I looked around, to see if the one object I sought
+was visible on that dreary white expanse!  Before me, there was nothing;
+a few mounds and rocks alone were to be seen between me and the horizon;
+but as I turned round just as the column of sand swept on, not thirty
+paces behind me, with joy such as I cannot describe, I saw my father
+stooping down and endeavouring to extricate his horse from the sand,
+which had partially covered him.  I hurried towards him, and leaping to
+the ground, threw myself into his arms.  For the moment all sensations
+of fatigue or thirst were forgotten in the joy of recovering him.
+
+Knowing that my horse was strong, he had felt less anxiety on my account
+than I had on his.  With some exertion we cleared away the sand, and
+once more got his horse upon his feet, though the poor animal appeared
+scarcely able to move, much less to bear a man of my father's weight.
+We had still one flask of water untouched.  We drank a little, and with
+a portion of the remainder washed the mouths and nostrils of our horses,
+and poured a few drops down their throats, still keeping a little for
+any further emergency.  This very much revived them; and once more
+mounting, we endeavoured to find our way across the desert.
+
+Since the sand-drift first overtook us, scarcely as much time had
+elapsed as it has occupied to read the account I have given; but so
+dreadful were the sensations I experienced, and so intense my anxiety,
+that to me it appeared an age.  The heat soon became almost as great as
+before the storm, and the atmosphere as oppressive, warning us that,
+though thus far preserved, we were still placed in a position of great
+peril.  It was now that I felt the benefit of the firm reliance in the
+goodness of Providence, which my father had ever inculcated, and which
+at this juncture supported him.
+
+"Courage, my dear boy," he exclaimed.  "God has thus far preserved us.
+He will still find the means of rescuing us."
+
+As he spoke, the dark wall of sand, which had been receding from us,
+after whirling in various directions, seemed to settle down in a line of
+undulating mounds in the distance; and on every side the horizon once
+more became entirely clear.
+
+We naturally first tried to discover any traces of the Spanish cavalry;
+and after straining my eyes for some time, I perceived a few dark
+objects which seemed to be moving on towards the point which, from the
+position of the sun, we judged to be the north.  Some other objects
+beyond them afforded us a fair hope of being able to find our way out of
+this dreadful desert.  I could not doubt that what I saw were the tops
+of some tall trees, though at such a distance that their base was not
+visible; indeed my father, who agreed with me that they were trees, was
+of opinion that they grew on ground somewhat elevated above the sandy
+plain.
+
+Towards them, therefore, we steered our course, as the Spaniards were
+also probably doing.  Our horses, we fancied, must have seen them
+likewise, or their instinct told them that water was to be found in the
+neighbourhood.  We looked round in vain for Ithulpo and the Indians.
+Not a sign of them could we perceive, and it would have been madness to
+have attempted to search for them.  Indeed, had we found them, we could
+have rendered them no assistance.  I was in hopes, indeed, that Ithulpo,
+whose horse was strong, and who I suspected knew the country better than
+he pretended to the Spaniards, would have found some means of escaping,
+and of aiding his countrymen.  We had, in truth, still too much to do in
+attempting to preserve our own lives, to allow us to think much of
+others.  It would be assuming to be above humanity, did I not confess
+this.
+
+The sun was already sinking low; and should we be unable to reach the
+trees before dark, and be compelled to rest on the plain or wander about
+it all night, we could scarcely hope to survive.  The ground we passed
+over was as smooth as if the receding tide had just left it.  Not the
+sign of a footstep of man or beast was to be seen, though here and there
+a slight rise showed that some harder substance had offered an
+impediment to the drifting sand.  After toiling onwards for half an hour
+at a very slow pace, we came upon a horse's head just rising from the
+sand.  He had died probably in attempting to extricate himself.  Several
+heaps showed that others--human beings, too probably--also lay beneath.
+
+They, at all events, were beyond all help.  The horse I recognised, from
+the head-trappings, as belonging to the officer commanding the party.
+We were passing on, when we observed, a little on the right, a man
+extended on his back.  A movement of his arm showed me that he was not
+dead, and that probably he was endeavouring to call our attention to
+himself.
+
+"Though he is one of those who showed no pity to the poor Indians, we
+must try what we can do for him," said my father; and we turned our
+horses towards him.
+
+As he saw us approach, he mustered all his strength and tried to rise.
+
+"Water, water!" he muttered.  "In mercy give me a drop of water!"
+
+It was the cruel officer himself.  Still he was a fellow-creature.  We
+had a small portion of water in the flask.  We might want it ourselves,
+but still we could not leave him thus to die.  So I dismounted, and
+approached him with the flask, while my father held my horse, who showed
+signs of an eagerness to rush on to the oasis we had discovered.  The
+officer, when he saw the flask, would have seized it, and drained off
+the whole of its contents; but I held it back, and pouring out a few
+drops in the cover, let them trickle down his throat.  I thought of what
+Ithulpo had said of water being of more value often than gold.  Truly
+those drops were more precious to the dying man; they had the effect of
+instantly reviving him.  Brightness came back to his glazed eyes, his
+voice returned, and he was able to sit up, and even to make an attempt
+to rise on his feet; but to do so was more than his strength would
+allow.
+
+"Give me more water or I shall die," he said as he saw me replacing the
+flask in my pocket.  "My rascally troopers have deserted me, to try and
+save their own worthless lives, and I have only you foreigners to depend
+on."
+
+"I cannot give you more water," I answered.  "I have but a few drops
+left to moisten my father's and my own lips."
+
+"O leave them for me.  I will give you your liberty, I will give you all
+I possess in the world, for that small flask of water," he exclaimed.
+"You will not require it, for beneath yonder trees, in the distance, you
+will find a fountain where you may drink your fill.  Have mercy,
+stranger, have mercy!"
+
+It was difficult to withstand the poor wretch's earnest appeal.  I
+poured out a little more water, which he drank off at once.  I then gave
+him a small lump of cocoa; and scraping up a heap of sand, I placed him
+leaning against it, so that he might feel any breath of air which might
+blow; promising faithfully to return to bring him to the oasis, if we
+were fortunate enough to reach it in safety.
+
+"But the voracious condors and the lions will come and destroy me, if I
+remain here during the night alone," he shrieked out.  "O take me with
+you, generous Englishman, take me with you!"
+
+To do this was utterly impossible.  My horse could scarcely carry me,
+much less another person in addition.
+
+"Come, David," said my father; "you have done your utmost for this
+miserable man.  We risk our own lives by further delay."
+
+In spite, therefore, of the entreaties of the Spaniard, I again mounted
+my horse.  It just then occurred to me that if he had his pistols, he
+might defend himself against any wild beasts.  On my offering to load
+them for him, he told me that he had thrown them away.  So I gave him
+one of my own, with a little ammunition, that he might reload it, if
+required.  He seized the weapon eagerly as I presented it.
+
+"Then you will not stay to help me, or carry me with you!" he exclaimed
+fiercely as I rode off.  "You will not!--then take that;" and levelling
+at me the pistol which I had just given, he fired.  The ball just grazed
+my side, but did no further mischief.
+
+"The poor wretch is delirious with fear," observed my father, when he
+found that I was uninjured.  "Let us ride on."
+
+On we rode, but though we made some progress, the oasis was still in
+appearance as far off as when first seen.  The sun was sinking rapidly--
+it reached the horizon--it disappeared; the short twilight changed into
+the obscurity of night; and the beacon by which we had hitherto directed
+our course was no longer to be seen.  The stars, however, shone brightly
+forth; and I had marked one which appeared just above the clump of
+trees.  By that we now steered, though, I had too soon strong proof, the
+instinct of our horses would have led them towards the oasis without our
+guidance.  Although it was night, the heat was intense; our throats were
+dry, our lips were parched, and we were experiencing all the terrible
+sensations of intolerable thirst.  We had kept the remnant of the water
+for a last resource, in case we should not reach the fountain.
+
+I think that for nearly another hour we had ridden on, my father not
+having spoken a word all that time, when to my horror, without any
+warning, he fell heavily from his horse.  His hands had let go the
+reins, and the animal, relieved of his burden, set off towards the
+oasis.  I threw myself from my horse.  To lift him up and to pour some
+water down his throat was the work of a moment.  It instantly restored
+him to consciousness.  He appeared to have suffered no injury from his
+fall.  While I was thus engaged, my horse escaped from me and set off
+after his companion.  So engrossed, however, was I in tending my father,
+that I scarcely noticed the occurrence.  It was, of course, utterly
+hopeless to attempt to recover the animals, and thus were we two left in
+the middle of the desert without a prospect of escaping.
+
+O the horrors of that night!  They can never be obliterated from my
+memory.  At first I thought of attempting to reach the oasis by walking;
+but my father, though having sufficient strength to sit up, and, had he
+not lost his horse, to ride, felt himself utterly unable to accomplish
+the distance on foot.  I had bitterly, indeed, to regret my momentary
+carelessness in allowing my horse to escape from me.  It might have been
+the cause of my father's and my destruction.  I have often since
+thought, from being for one instant only off our guard, how much misery
+and ruin may occur--how much wickedness and suffering may be the result!
+
+The air was still very sultry, and even the sand, on which we rested,
+was very hot.  Our last drop of water was consumed.  My father did not
+know it, but I had given it to him.  I had begun to suffer dreadfully
+from thirst.  My throat seemed lined with a coating like the face of a
+file, and my lips were hard and cracked; while the skin, from the drying
+effects of the sun, the wind, and the sand, was peeling off my face.  My
+father did not feel so much pain as I did; but my strength, I fancied,
+had in no way failed me, and I thought that, if I had kept my horse, I
+could easily have walked by his side till we reached the fountain we
+expected to find.  We sat for some time without speaking.  The stars
+were shining in undimmed brilliancy above our heads from the dark blue
+sky; not a breath of air was stirring, not a sound was heard.  I never
+endured a silence so profound, so solemn, and so painful.  For a time I
+almost fancied that I had become deaf.  At length my father's voice,
+which sounded deep and hollow, convinced me of the contrary.
+
+"David," he said, "I must not let you, my boy, remain here to die.  You
+may still be able during the night to reach the oasis, and the cool of
+the morning will bring you renewed strength.  If you reach it in safety,
+you are certain to find our horses there, and you can return with them
+and the flasks full of water to me.  I feel quite certain that I can
+hold out till then."
+
+I scarcely knew what to answer my father.  Though I thought that I might
+possibly reach the oasis, I saw the great difficulty there would be in
+again finding him, without any means in that vast plain of marking his
+position; and I felt far from confident that his strength would endure
+till my return.
+
+"No, father," I answered; "I cannot leave you now.  I should not find
+you again, so that my going would not preserve you; and I will therefore
+stay and share your fate."
+
+I need not mention all the arguments my father used to persuade me to
+leave him, and how I entreated him to allow me to remain.  At last he
+consented that I should stay with him till just before daybreak, which
+is in that, as in most climates, the coolest time generally of the
+twenty-four hours.  He then proposed that I should plant my whip, with a
+piece of handkerchief tied to the end of it, on the top of the highest
+rock or piece of ground I should find near, to serve as a mark for his
+position, should he not by that time have sufficiently recovered his
+strength to set out with me.
+
+"Perhaps I may be able to accompany you part of the way, and then you
+will have a less distance to return to look for me," he observed.
+
+As he spoke, however, I could not help remarking, with grief, that there
+was a hollow tone in his voice which betokened failing strength, while
+his words were uttered with pain and difficulty.  I could too well judge
+of his sensations by my own; and gladly would I have given the room full
+of gold which the unfortunate Inca, Atahualpa, promised to the greedy
+Spaniards, for a flask of water to quench the burning thirst which was
+consuming us.
+
+Hour after hour passed away, as we sat side by side on the sand.  We
+spoke but little; indeed I soon fell into a state of dreamy
+unconsciousness, which was not sleep, though at the same time I could
+not be said to be awake.  All sorts of strange sights passed before me,
+and strange noises sounded in my ears, though I was sensible that they
+were not realities.  I saw horses galloping before me, some with riders,
+and others wild steeds with flowing manes.  Troops of Indians came by in
+their feathers and gay dresses, and soldiers marched past with colours
+flying and bands playing; and hunters, and dogs, and animals of every
+description.  Indeed there appeared no end to the phantom shapes which
+met my sight.
+
+In vain I endeavoured to arouse myself.  A weight I could not throw off
+pressed me to the ground.  I cannot more particularly describe my
+sensations; I only know that they were very dreadful.  I was aware that
+my father was near me, and that I wished to preserve him from some
+danger; but I thought sometimes that we were at sea on a raft; at
+others, that we were sliding down a snowy mountain, and that, though I
+tried to catch some of the snow in my hand to cool my tongue, it
+vanished before it reached my mouth; and then I felt that we were
+sinking into the earth, which, as we sunk, grew hotter and hotter, till
+it scorched my skin, and I shrieked out with the pain.  I started and
+lifted up my head; a pair of fierce glowing eyes met my view--a huge
+jaguar or tiger stood before me!  We eyed each other for a moment with a
+fixed gaze.  I was more astonished than alarmed; for owing to the state
+of stupor from which I had been aroused, I had not time to be aware of
+the peril in which we were placed.  Fortunately, when I lay down, I had
+taken my pistol from my belt, and placed it by my side, ready to grasp
+it at a moment's warning.  My first impulse was to seize it; and while
+the jaguar still stood apparently considering whether he should spring
+upon me and carry me off to the mountains to serve him as a banquet, I
+lifted the weapon and fired it directly in his face.  Startled by so
+unexpected a reception, instead of springing forward, he turned round
+with a roar of rage and pain, and galloped off across the desert.
+
+The report of the pistol aroused my father, who could scarcely believe
+what had occurred.  I regretted not having been able to kill the brute;
+for, driven to extremity as we were, we should eagerly have drunk his
+blood to attempt to quench our thirst.  I reloaded my pistol in the
+expectation of his return; and grown desperate as I was, I almost hoped
+that he would do so, that I might have another chance of shooting him.
+The possibility of this served effectually to prevent me from again
+falling into a drowsy state, and I believe it was of essential service
+to me.
+
+Another risk now occurred to me.  Though at present perfectly calm, the
+wind might suddenly arise, and should we fall asleep, the sand might be
+drifted over us, and we should certainly be suffocated.  No mariner,
+whose ship is drifting on an unknown lee-shore, ever more earnestly
+wished-for daylight than I did for the appearance of dawn, though I was
+afraid it could but little avail my poor father.
+
+At length a faint streak appeared in the sky.  It was a sign that we
+must attempt to proceed on our way or abandon all hope of escape.  I
+called to my father, whose eyes were closed.
+
+"Yes, my boy," he answered, "I will come;" but when he attempted to
+rise, I saw that his strength was not equal to the exertion.
+
+I felt also, when I tried, but little able to walk even by myself, much
+less to help him onward.  Still the effort must be made.  I got myself
+on my feet, and raised him also.  We staggered onward in the direction,
+I supposed, of the oasis.  With a melancholy foreboding, however, I felt
+that at the pace we were going we should never be able to reach it.
+Still I resolved not to give in.  Onward we went like two drunken men.
+Every instant I thought we should fall to rise no more.  I was certain
+that if I quitted my father, it would only be to die apart from him,
+when death would be doubly bitter.  I could no longer see the star which
+had before guided us.  Either clouds had obscured it, or a mist had
+arisen, or my eyes were growing dim.  My father was pressing more
+heavily on my arm.  I tried to support him, but my strength was
+insufficient.  In the attempt we both fell together.  All hope abandoned
+me.
+
+"O God, protect my wife and children!" murmured my father.
+
+I also tried to pray, but with difficulty I could collect my thoughts
+for a few moments together.  I lifted myself on my knees by my father's
+side, and raised his head from the sand.  Daylight was now coming on,
+and with anguish I saw by the expression of his features that if aid was
+not speedily afforded, it would be too late to preserve his life.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN.
+
+HOPE REVIVES--LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS.
+
+As a shipwrecked seaman, on the wild rock in the middle of the ocean,
+anxiously scans the horizon to search for a sail in sight, so did I cast
+my eager gaze over the barren sandy waste, to discover if providentially
+any succour was at hand.  The shades of night melting away before the
+rays of the sun, the wished-for oasis appeared in the distance; and by
+the marks on the sand, I could not doubt that we had been wandering away
+instead of approaching it.  How eagerly I looked towards the spot where
+I believed the means of reviving our fast-failing strength could be
+found!  As I gazed at it, it seemed to approach nearer, and tantalised
+me the more that I knew that I could not reach it.
+
+The sun rose slowly and majestically in the sky, and his burning rays
+began again to strike down upon our heads.  Still I kept my senses; but
+I felt that death must soon terminate my dear father's sufferings, and
+mine as well.  Once more I cast my glance round the horizon.  I gazed
+steadily--I saw a dark object moving in the distance.  O how earnestly I
+watched it!  I could not be mistaken--it was approaching us.  As it came
+on, I discerned the figure of a man on horseback.  He was leading
+another animal with a load on his back.  Now he seemed to be verging off
+to the right hand.  He might pass and not observe us.  I shouted; but it
+was folly to fancy that my feeble voice could reach him.  Again he
+turned.  I saw him dismount and stoop down on the sand.  He stopped,
+however, but a minute, perhaps not so much, though to me it seemed an
+age, and he again mounted and came on.  He was directing his course, I
+judged, for the oasis.  As he came still nearer, I recognised Ithulpo,
+and he was leading our baggage mule.  I could not doubt, also, but that
+he was searching for us.  Again I tried to shout, but my voice failed
+me.  I lifted up my hand and waved it above my head; but I could no
+longer stand upright, or I should have attracted his attention.  He rode
+on.  He had already passed, when he turned his head and caught sight of
+the handkerchief I was waving in my hand.  He spurred on towards us.  To
+spring from his horse, and to take one of the saddle-bags from the back
+of the mule, was the work of a moment.  From the saddlebag he produced a
+skin of water.  Without speaking, he poured out a cup, from which he
+allowed a few drops to fall into my father's mouth.  When once I felt it
+to my lips, I could not withdraw it till I had drained it to the bottom.
+The pure draught so much revived me that I could sit up and help
+Ithulpo to tend my father.  This he did with the greatest care; but
+human care, alas! seemed to be of little avail.  He loosened his dress
+to admit of perfectly free circulation; he then washed his mouth, and
+after bathing his temples, he allowed a few more drops to trickle down
+his throat.  This judicious treatment had, after a time, the most
+beneficial effect.  My father languidly opened his eyes, and attempted
+to sit up; and I saw that his first act of consciousness was to turn
+them towards me with an inquiring glance.  Finding that I was alive, his
+countenance brightened; and after slowly drinking some more water, in
+the course of three or four minutes he revived sufficiently to propose
+proceeding on our way.
+
+"Wait a little longer, Senor," said Ithulpo.  "Water has restored you to
+life, but you require food to give you strength; see, I have brought
+some."
+
+As he spoke, he opened a basket full of bread and dried meat, and
+several sorts of the most delicious and cooling fruit.  There were figs
+and grapes and pomegranates, fragrant chirimoyas, yellow bananas, and
+several pine-apples; indeed many others too numerous to name.
+
+Never shall I forget the exquisite delight with which I ate the first
+fig Ithulpo handed to me.  It cooled my burning thirst more than all the
+water I had swallowed, and served both for meat and drink.  It was a
+large soft fig with a white pulp.  I instantly put out my hand for
+another, and he gave me a black fig with a red pulp, which vied with the
+first in excellence.  Then he handed me a bunch of juicy grapes, but I
+still asked for more figs; and when I had finished as many as he thought
+were good for me, he tore open a chirimoya, and let me eat its
+snow-white juicy fruit.  Outside it did not look tempting, for the skin,
+though green, was tough and hard, and covered with black spots.  The
+platanos or bananas were cooked; and though I could not have swallowed a
+piece of dry bread, I was enabled to eat some of them with much relish.
+Altogether, never was a repast eaten with greater appetite, or, I may
+add, with more gratitude; for it certainly was the means of preserving
+my father's life as well as mine.  Ithulpo had taken the precaution to
+tether the animals, so that they could not escape; and as he sat by us,
+distributing the food, he informed us of what he had done after we had
+lost sight of him in the sand-storm.
+
+"You must know, Senores," he began, "I was so busy in liberating my poor
+countrymen from the ropes which bound them, that I did not observe which
+way you were taking.  I shouted after you to turn back, but you did not
+hear me; and then the dreadful sand-cloud came on, and it was too late.
+I am well acquainted with this dreadful desert, and I was aware that we
+were out of the right path; but I also knew where that path was; so, as
+soon as all the poor fellows were free, we set off towards it.  They
+were all well able to run without the ropes, and out of sight of our
+tyrants.  Fortunately the sand-cloud wheeled round before it reached us,
+and we were safe.
+
+"You must know that on the previous night I had stowed away the
+wine-skins full of water in your portmanteaus, and I thus had enough to
+give a good draught to each of the men, and to my beasts also.  Our
+first care was then to get out of the desert.  I knew where the ground
+was hard, so I led them to it, and we then could travel at a fast rate.
+About a league beyond where we were, there is a fountain of pure water
+gushing up out of a hard black rock.  Here we were all able to refresh
+ourselves; and still a little farther on, marks are to be seen, by which
+I could direct my companions how to escape from the desert.  They
+quickly availed themselves of my advice, and are now on their way to
+hide themselves among the mountains, where there is no fear of the
+Spaniards searching for them."
+
+"But what did you do, my friend?"  I asked, stretching out my hand for
+another bunch of tempting grapes.
+
+"Just as I was parting from them I saw a party of fruit-sellers crossing
+the desert, with several mules laden with fruit.  I purchased some, as
+also some bread and baked platanos, and then set off to search for you.
+I knew, by the feel of the atmosphere, that there would be no more
+sand-storms; and hoped, it you had escaped that of yesterday, to find
+you.  I know my way across any part of the desert blindfold, for I can
+tell by the smell of the sand alone where animals have before passed.
+As soon as it was daylight I returned to where I last had seen you.  I
+saw where the sand-cloud had settled down, forming huge mounds, beneath
+which many of the Spaniards, I found, lay overwhelmed.  At last I fell
+in with the tracks of your two horses.  I guessed they were yours, for I
+thought the Spaniards would have kept together.  I followed them up
+steadily.  I came to where you had found the Spanish officer, and given
+him a pistol with which to defend himself."
+
+"What, did he tell you so?"  I asked, interrupting Ithulpo.
+
+"Oh no; his voice has ceased for ever," he replied, with a dark smile.
+"He had been dead some time, and the fowls of the air were feeding on
+him; but I knew him by his dress, and I recognised your pistol, which he
+had fired.  Here it is.  I next reached the spot where you dismounted,
+and your horses had run away.  I began to fear that I was too late to
+save you; and when following up the track of your footsteps, I saw that
+a number of the Spanish cavalry had escaped, and had gone towards yonder
+clump of trees.  Several have fallen in the way, as the wings of the
+condors I could see flapping above the ground, one beyond the other,
+told me plainly.  And now, Senores, it is time to mount and proceed.
+Two hours' riding beyond those trees will carry us free of the desert;
+and may you never again enter it without a proper guide."
+
+My father rode Ithulpo's horse; and while I clambered upon the back of
+the baggage mule, he walked.  It was almost as hot as on the previous
+day; but I kept my mouth cool by occasionally eating a grape, and
+sometimes one of my favourite figs; and with little suffering we drew
+near the oasis.
+
+"Are you not afraid of falling into the hands of the Spaniards, and of
+being accused of liberating their prisoners?"  I asked.
+
+He looked up, and, smiling significantly, answered.  "I tell you, Senor,
+not one of our enemies live to bear false witness against us.  I have
+marked among yonder trees signs not to be mistaken of their fate."
+
+I asked no further questions.  We passed, as we rode along, several
+bodies of horses and men; and as we approached the trees, Ithulpo
+shouting with all his might, several condors rose slowly on the wing,
+and a huge tiger stalked slowly away, looking round every now and then
+at us with an angry glance, for having disturbed him at his repast.  I
+thought I recognised him as the monster who had paid us a visit during
+the night; and I have no doubt that he was the same.
+
+I can scarcely describe the dreadful scene which met our sight as we at
+length reached the longed-for oasis.  In the centre existed a small
+shallow pool, filled by a stream which bubbled up through the earth.  It
+would allow scarcely more than a dozen horses to drink therein at a
+time.  We at once perceived what had occurred.  The survivors of the
+cavalry had reached it in a body.  Some of the front ranks, both horses
+and men, overcome by weakness, had, in their attempt to drink, fallen
+in, and prevented the others from getting their mouths to it.  The first
+lay trampled on and drowned, making the once clear pool a mass of mud
+and filth.  The rear ranks, rushing over them, had died of raging
+thirst, in sight of the water which might have saved them.  Both men and
+horses were mingled in a dreadful heap, torn and mangled by the birds
+and beasts of prey.  We crossed as rapidly as we could to the other side
+of the oasis, where Ithulpo produced a skin full of clear water from one
+of the saddle-bags.
+
+"We must not disappoint our poor beasts," he observed, as he gave them
+to drink.
+
+Just then the horse my father rode gave a neigh.  It was answered from a
+distance; and to our no little satisfaction and astonishment, our two
+horses were seen trotting up towards the oasis.  They had evidently been
+prevented taking shelter in the oasis by the presence of the tiger, but
+had kept in the neighbourhood, in the hopes of his taking his departure.
+Ithulpo at once enticed them to him by the offer of water, which they
+drank eagerly; and having secured them, after allowing them to crop a
+little of the grass which grew beneath the shade of the trees, we
+mounted, and prepared to recommence our journey.  As we left the now
+polluted oasis, Ithulpo looked carefully round to examine the traces on
+the sand, and declared that of all those who had reached the spot, not
+one had left it.
+
+"A just vengeance has overtaken the tyrants who yesterday so cruelly
+ill-treated us, Senores," he remarked.  "I knew it would be so.  We may
+now, without fear, proceed to Lima."
+
+In two hours we reached the confines of the desert, and once more got
+among streams, and trees, and cultivated fields.  We slept that night at
+an Indian village, where Ithulpo's influence procured us a warm
+reception; and after a rest of two days, we proceeded on our journey to
+Lima.  As we rode along a fine straight road, shaded by an avenue of
+lofty willows, peculiarly grateful in a hot climate, we at length came
+in sight of the steeples and domes of the far-famed city of Lima, with
+the blue ocean on one side of us, and the interminable ranges of the
+snowy Cordilleras reaching to the sky on the other.
+
+"What a magnificent city!"  I exclaimed.  "Well worthy, indeed, does it
+appear of its great founder, the conqueror Pizarro."
+
+"Wait till we get within the walls before you pronounce an opinion,"
+remarked my father.  "Like the deeds of the founder, it gains more
+admiration when observed at a distance than when examined closely.  We
+admire Pizarro when we regard alone the wonderful conquest he achieved;
+but when we learn the wrongs, the injustice, the misery he inflicted,
+the blood he spilled, and the ruin he caused, he and his companions
+appear monsters of iniquity, worthy of detestation rather than
+admiration."
+
+We entered the city by a handsome gateway, and immediately found
+ourselves in a long street, with low, mean, ruinous houses on either
+side.  The houses had porches in front, and _patios_ or court-yards.
+The shops were small, with their goods placed on tables at the doors;
+there was no glass to the windows, and no display of articles of
+commerce.  The street was badly paved, though there was a rough footway
+on each side.  The walls of many of the houses were composed of double
+rows of bamboo, but some were of brick; the roofs were flat, and very
+few of the houses had two stories.  As we rode on, however, the
+appearance of the place improved; and in and near the principal square I
+observed some fine buildings, with handsomely ornamented _facades_, and
+many fine churches and convents; but altogether I had to own that the
+outside beauty was sadly deceptive.
+
+The streets were crowded with persons of every variety of costume, and
+every hue of skin; from the people of Northern Europe, and the
+bright-complexioned native of Biscay, to the red Indian and the
+jet-black African.  Some were on horseback, and others in carriages of
+very clumsy and antique construction; and of the lower order, some were
+riding on mules and donkeys, and others were driving animals laden with
+ice from the mountains, skins of brandy, and fruits and provisions of
+every description.  Among this motley crowd we forced our way, till we
+reached the house of my father's agent, a Spanish merchant, Don Jose
+Torres de Santillan by name, a very honest and good man.
+
+As the plan of his house was similar to that of most of the larger
+dwellings in Lima, I will describe it.  In what may be called the front
+of the house were two doors; one, the _azaguan_, was the chief entrance,
+and the other led to the coach-house.  By the side of the _azaguan_ was
+a small room with a grated window, where the ladies of the family were
+fond of sitting to observe the passers-by.  This building formed the
+street side of a spacious court-yard or _patio_, on either side of which
+were a number of small rooms, and on the farther side was the
+dwelling-house, round which ran a balcony.  In it were numerous doors;
+the largest opened into the _sala_ or hall, which was furnished with
+several net hammocks, a row of chairs, and two sofas; while
+straw-matting covered the floor.  Inside of it was a smaller
+well-furnished room, called the _quadro_, which was the usual
+reception-room; and beyond it were the dining and sleeping rooms, and
+the nursery.  They all opened into an inner court-yard, the walls of
+which were ornamented with fresco paintings; and part of it was laid out
+as a flower-garden, with a fountain in the centre.  From it one door led
+to the kitchen, and another to the stable.  The windows were mostly in
+the roof, as were those in Pompeii and many ancient cities; indeed it
+was very similar to the plan of building followed in the south of Spain.
+
+On hearing of our arrival, Don Jose hurried out and received us with the
+greatest attention.  Our animals were led off to the stables by a number
+of servants, and we were conducted to the _quadro_, where he instantly
+ordered refreshments to be brought.  We begged leave in the mean time to
+be allowed to change our dusty dresses.  On our return we found hammocks
+slung, in which our host invited us to rest ourselves.  In a hot climate
+there cannot be a more luxurious couch than a net hammock, as it allows
+the air to circulate freely round the body in the coolest part of the
+room.  The softly-stuffed sofa of an English or French drawing-room
+would be insufferable.  A young negress slave then brought in a tray
+with cups, into which she poured out some chocolate, making it froth up
+till they overflowed, and then handed them round to us.  Cigars were
+next offered to us, and we smoked them till suppertime.
+
+For this meal we adjourned to the dining-room, where our host insisted
+on waiting on us.  It was a repetition of dinner, which the family had
+taken according to custom at two o'clock.  The wife of Don Jose, and her
+maiden sister and three daughters, pretty, palefaced, black-eyed girls,
+with hair like the raven's wing, were present, as were the family priest
+and two gentlemen, cousins of our host.  We first had an insipid kind of
+soup, and then their principal dish, called _puchero_.  It contained all
+sorts of meats and vegetables mixed up together--beef, pork, ham, bacon,
+sausage, poultry, cabbage, _yuccas camotes_ (a sort of potato),
+potatoes, rice, peas, _chochitas_ (grains of maize), quince, and banana.
+The meat was brought in on one dish and the vegetables on another, and
+they were afterwards mixed to suit our individual tastes.
+
+At the same time a dish of _picante_ was served.  It was composed of
+dried meat and some pounded roots, highly seasoned with cayenne pepper,
+and coloured with grains of the _achote_, which gave it a brilliant
+vermilion tint.  After the meat, a sort of pudding was brought in,
+consisting of a great variety of fruits stewed in water,--a dish I
+cannot praise; and then followed a dessert of delicious fresh fruits and
+sweet cakes, which were washed down by a tumbler of fresh water.  Such
+is the usual dinner of a gentleman's family in Lima.  A little light
+sweet wine was the only liquor drunk, though in compliment to the
+supposed taste of our countrymen, strong wine, brandy, and other spirits
+were placed before us.  After dinner the servant brought in a piece of
+lighted charcoal and a tray of cigars, which the men and the elder
+ladies smoked with much apparent relish; but my three fair friends
+declined using them.
+
+I soon became perfectly intimate with these young ladies.  They were
+troubled with no tiresome bashfulness to keep them silent, and they were
+full of life and spirits; so we rattled away in conversation in the most
+agreeable manner, till it was announced that some guests had arrived,
+and were waiting in the _sala_ to commence dancing.  Musicians appeared,
+and, with much spirit, boleros, fandangos, and cachuchas, and other
+dances, well-known in Old Spain, were commenced and kept up for some
+hours.  As we were in the height of the amusement, the cathedral bell
+struck three slow measured sounds, the signal of the _Oration_.  It was
+repeated by the belfries of all the churches in the city.  Instantly, as
+if by magic, every movement was suspended.  Each one said the evening
+prayer in a low whisper, and then made the sign of the cross; those of
+most consequence turning to the persons near them, uttering the words
+_buenas noches_ (good night), which was repeated by all present.  It is
+a simple but beautiful custom, and is intended to remind people of their
+duty to God in whatever occupation they may be engaged.  It may often do
+good; but unless people are possessed of the true spirit of piety,
+custom will make them callous, and it will fail to have any beneficial
+effect.
+
+I have observed this custom in many other Roman Catholic countries.  In
+a public place full of people of different ranks, the effect is still
+more curious.  The lively conversation of the smart lady and the gallant
+cavalier is cut short, the donkey-driver with uplifted arm ceases to
+belabour his beast, the oath dies on the lips of the rough seaman or
+uncouth black, the workman drops his tool, the shopman lays down his
+measure, children refrain from their play, men quarrelling suspend their
+dispute, lazy monks engaged in their constant game of draughts neglect
+to make the intended move, vendors of fruit no longer utter their cries,
+and one and all engage in silent prayer till the bell has ceased to
+toll, and then in a moment the noise and bustle of active life once more
+goes on.
+
+When I retired to my room for the night, not a little tired with my
+exertion, Ithulpo made his appearance.
+
+"How long, Senor, may I ask, does your father purpose remaining here?"
+
+"Some short time; a week or two perhaps," I replied, rather surprised at
+his question.
+
+He went to the door and looked cautiously out, and then, speaking almost
+in a whisper, as if he were afraid the walls might convey the
+intelligence, he said--
+
+"You have a mother and sisters and young brothers at your home in the
+mountains.  As you love them, press your father not to remain here
+longer than you can help.  Two or three days at furthest is all you
+should take, and then by travelling fast we may arrive in time.  My
+orders are to accompany you to your home; but I tell you that it shortly
+will no longer be a place of safety for you or those you love.  More I
+may not say."
+
+"You have already been of infinite service to us, Ithulpo; and I know
+that you would not, without good reason, alarm us; but cannot you tell
+me more particularly what sort of danger we have to apprehend?"  I
+asked.
+
+He shook his head as he answered--
+
+"Indeed, Senor, I cannot; and you must caution your father not to give a
+hint to any one of what I have said, or the worst consequences may
+follow.  I rely on your discretion."
+
+I promised to be cautious, and Ithulpo, saying that he would call me at
+an early hour as I desired, left me.  Tired as I was, I could not for a
+long time go to sleep, but continued thinking of what Ithulpo had told
+me, and trying to discover to what he alluded.  I heard my father enter
+his room, which was next to mine, but I would not run the risk of
+depriving him of his night's rest by telling him of what I had heard.
+
+As my object is not only to describe my own personal adventures, but to
+present my readers with a picture of Peru as it was at the time I speak
+of, I will now give a short description of Lima, the capital.  Lima
+stands on the river _Rimac_, from a corruption of which word its name is
+derived.  The valley through which the river runs is called by the
+Indians _Rimac Malca_, or the place of witches; from the custom they had
+formerly of banishing there persons accused of witchcraft.  The city was
+founded by Pizarro soon after the conquest.  He there built a palace for
+himself, in which he was assassinated by Almagro.  He called his beloved
+Lima, La Ciudad de los Reyes, from its being founded on the day of the
+Epiphany.  I always think of Pizarro with much more satisfaction when I
+contemplate him engaged in the peaceful occupation of laying out the
+city, and superintending the labours of the workmen, than when I regard
+him as the blood-stained conqueror of a race who had given him no cause
+of offence.  He laid the foundation of the city on the 8th of January
+1534, and was murdered on the 26th of June 1541.
+
+Besides the river Rimac, which runs through the city, there are a number
+of small streams, which add much to the cleanliness of the streets, and
+serve to irrigate the gardens, and to feed the fountains and canals
+which adorn them.  The ground on which it stands slopes towards the sea;
+the great square, or _plaza mayor_, near the centre, being about four
+hundred and eighty feet above its level.
+
+The climate is agreeable, as the heat is seldom very excessive; but as
+there are several marshes and swampy places in the vicinity, fevers and
+agues are common.  In summer a canopy of clouds hangs over it, which
+mitigates the heat of the sun; but rain very seldom falls throughout the
+year.  Earthquakes occur nearly every year, and some have caused most
+devastating effects.
+
+Lima is about two miles long from east to west, and a mile and a quarter
+broad.  The streets are all straight, and about twenty-five feet wide,
+and there are no less than one hundred and fifty-seven _quadras_ or open
+spaces.  It is enclosed by walls built of _adobes_, sun-dried bricks
+made of clay and chopped straw.  These bricks are considered better
+calculated than stone to resist the shocks of earthquakes.  The walls
+are about twelve feet high and ten thick at the bottom, narrowing to
+eight at the top, with a parapet of three feet on the outer edge.  It is
+flanked by thirty-four bastions, and has seven gates and three posterns.
+On the south-east is the citadel of Santa Catalina, with small guns
+mounted on it.  Across the Rimac is a bridge of stone with fine arches,
+leading to the suburb of San Lazaro.  This bridge is the favourite
+evening resort of the citizens.  There are a number of churches, with
+handsome fronts of stone, and lofty steeples, which must be strongly
+built not to be overthrown by the earthquakes.
+
+Lima contained about 80,000 inhabitants, of whom 20,000 were whites, and
+the rest negroes, Indians, and various half-castes.  There were
+sixty-three noblemen who enjoyed the title of count or marquis, and
+about forty who were noble without titles.  The Spaniards considered
+themselves belonging to a race of beings far above the native Indians,
+or even the Creoles; and would much more readily give their daughters in
+marriage to a poor countryman of their own than to a rich American-born
+person.  The people of Lima are much addicted to gambling, especially
+the higher orders; but public gambling-houses are not allowed.  The
+white inhabitants have sallow complexions, with little or no colour on
+their cheeks.  The ladies have generally interesting countenances, with
+good eyes and teeth, and a profusion of black hair.  The walking-dress
+of females of all ranks is the _saya y manto_.  The _saya_ consists of a
+petticoat of velvet, satin, or stuff, generally black or of a cinnamon
+tint, plaited in very small folds.  It sits close to the body, and shows
+the shape to advantage.  At the bottom it is so narrow that the wearer
+can only make very short steps.  The skirt is ornamented with lace,
+fringe, spangles, or artificial flowers.  The ladies of higher rank wear
+it of various colours, purple, pale blue, lead colour, or striped.  The
+_manto_ is a hood of thin black silk, drawn round the waist and then
+carried over the head.  By closing it before, they can hide the face,
+one eye alone being visible, or sometimes they show only half the face.
+A gay shawl thrown over the shoulders and appearing in front, a rosary
+in the hand, silk stockings, and satin shoes, complete the costume.  It
+seems intended to serve the purpose of a domino, as the wearer can thus
+completely conceal her features.  At the present day, however, the
+European costume has been generally adopted.  They delight in possessing
+a quantity of jewellery; but they appear to be still fonder of perfumes
+and sweet-scented flowers, and spare no expense in procuring them.
+
+The Indians who reside in Lima endeavour to imitate the Spanish Creoles
+in dress and manners.  They are chiefly engaged in making gold and
+silver lace, and other delicate gold work; while some are tailors and
+vendors of fruit, flowers, and vegetables.
+
+The African Negroes are numerous, and, though slaves, are well treated
+by their masters.  Those of the same tribe or nation find each other
+out, and form a sort of club or association, called a _Confradia_.  They
+generally hold their meetings in the suburbs on a Sunday afternoon.  At
+the time I speak of, there was an old slave-woman who had lived in a
+family for nearly fifty years, and who was the acknowledged queen of the
+Mandingoes.  She was called Mama Rosa; and I remember seeing her seated
+at the porch of her master's house, when a number of her black subjects
+who were passing knelt before her, and kissing her hand in a true loyal
+fashion, asked her blessing.  Her mistress had given her a silver
+sceptre, and the young ladies of the family would lend her jewels,
+artificial flowers, and other ornaments; bedecked in which, on certain
+days, she would be carried off by her subjects in great state, her
+sceptre borne before her, to the house of the Confradia, where a throne
+was prepared to receive her.  Here she held a regular court, when as
+much respect was shown her as to any sovereign in Europe.  I shall have
+to speak of her again.
+
+The next morning at an early hour Ithulpo called me, and accompanied me
+through the city.  On my return I took an opportunity of telling my
+father what I had heard.  He treated the subject lightly, observing that
+the Indians were very fanciful; at the same time, that he was anxious to
+return home as soon as he could arrange the affairs for which he had
+visited Lima.  However I observed the following day, either from some
+information he had received, or from something Ithulpo had said to him,
+that he had begun to think more seriously of the matter, and he desired
+me to make preparations for our departure.
+
+While strolling out in the afternoon, I happened to pass the abode of
+Mama Rosa, the black queen of the Mandingoes.  A large crowd of negroes
+were assembled before the door, decked in all the finery they could
+command.  They wore garments of all fashions and of every gay-coloured
+hue imaginable--the women with wreaths of flowers round their heads, and
+necklaces of coral and beads on their necks and arms.  There were silk
+coats a century old, and round jackets, and shirts, blue, red, yellow,
+and white; and naval and military uniforms curiously altered to suit the
+taste of the wearer--not an uncommon mode of wearing trousers being
+round the neck instead of on the legs, with the upper part hanging down
+the back, and the lower on either side in front like a shawl.  Some
+acted the part of guards of honour, and others appeared as ministers of
+state.  A select body bore a sort of _palanquin_ or litter, which they
+placed before the door till Mama Rosa descended into the street, when
+she was conducted with great ceremony to her seat in it.  She was very
+old and ugly; but her subjects did not love her the less for that.  Her
+dress was resplendent with flowers and jewels, and all the ornaments she
+could hang about herself.
+
+A band was in attendance, the instruments of which were somewhat
+curious.  The most important was a drum, made of a section of the trunk
+of a tree, with the skin of a kid drawn over one end.  Another was a
+bow, the string being of catgut, which was struck with a small cane.  A
+third was the jaw-bone of an ass with the teeth loose in the socket, and
+which, when struck by the hand, made a capital rattle.  If there was not
+much harmony in the music, there was plenty of noise, which was not a
+little increased by the voices of a party of singers, who frisked about
+before the sovereign's state carriage as she advanced.  The
+sceptre-bearer stepped out with her majesty's insignia of office in his
+arms, looking back as he did so to ascertain that the queen was
+following.  Her people shouted, the palanquin-bearers moved on, the band
+struck up a negro sort of "God save the Queen," and away they all went
+towards the quarters of the Confradia.  I followed to see the end of the
+ceremony.  After passing through a number of narrow and somewhat dirty
+streets, with the houses built of bamboo and mud, we reached the palace,
+for so I may call it.  The hall was of good size, and the walls were
+ornamented with what I suppose were intended for likenesses of other
+sable monarchs.  If they were correct, I am compelled to own that the
+royal Rosa's predecessors, both ladies and gentlemen, were a very ugly
+set of personages.  The band played louder, and the people shouted more
+vehemently, as her majesty ascended the throne at the end of the hall.
+She seemed perfectly at home, and sat down with right royal dignity.
+The sceptre-bearer presented the sceptre.  She seized--it in her right
+hand and waved it around to command silence.  Her ministers of state
+formed on either side of the throne, and doffed their cocked hats, or
+straw hats, or hats with three corners, or their red caps, or whatever
+covering adorned their heads.  She then made them a speech, which I have
+no doubt was much more original than the Queen's speech in England, but
+as I did not know a word of the Mandingo language, I was not much the
+wiser for it.  When it was concluded, her Chancellor of the Exchequer
+made a report of the financial condition of her kingdom, while her Home
+Secretary described the good behaviour of her subjects, and her Minister
+for Foreign Affairs assured her that she was on good terms with all her
+neighbours.  This part of the business being concluded, they squatted
+down about the throne, and filling their pipes with tobacco, began to
+smoke; while her other subjects, one by one, stepped forward, and
+dropping on both knees, each one gave her hand a kiss, not bashfully as
+if they were afraid of it, but with a hearty smack, which sounded
+through the hall.  Her ancient majesty in return bestowed a blessing on
+them, and told them all to behave well; and especially to be contented
+with their lot, if their masters and mistresses treated them kindly.
+After the speech, all the people shouted, and the musicians struck up a
+magnificent flourish with the drums, and the bows, and the jaw-bones of
+the asses; and if there was not much harmony, there was a great deal of
+enthusiasm.  Several slaves then stepped forward, and preferred
+complaints against their masters for ill-treatment.
+
+The Queen listened to them attentively, and I thought seemed to judge
+their cases very judiciously.  To some she replied, that it was through
+their own neglect of their duty that they had been punished.  Others she
+advised to bear their ill-treatment patiently, and to endeavour, by zeal
+and attention to the wishes of their masters, to soften their tempers,
+and to gain their good-will; but there were two or three who had been
+treated so barbarously and unjustly, that she promised them that the
+_Confradia_ should make every effort to purchase their freedom.
+
+"You shall be freed," she observed; "but remember you will have to work
+as hard as you have ever before done, to repay the _Confradia_ the money
+they have advanced for your emancipation."
+
+These were not exactly her words, but what she said was to this effect.
+
+The serious business of the day being over, the negroes and negresses
+set to work to dance; and though I cannot speak much of the grace they
+exhibited, I never saw any human beings frisk and jump about with so
+much agility.  Who would have thought they were for the most part
+slaves, groaning under their chains?  Never did dancers enter more
+thoroughly into the spirit of dancing.  The black beaus did not waste
+their time in talking or doing the amiable to their sable partners; nor
+did the latter seem to expect any such attention--they came to dance,
+and their great aim seemed to be to get through as much of it as the
+time would allow.  As I looked on I could scarcely refrain from rushing
+into the sable throng, and joining them in their frisks and jumps;
+though I dare say, had I done so they would have considered me a very
+contemptible performer.  At length the Queen's chamberlain clapped his
+hands, and gave notice that the court must break up, as her majesty was
+desirous of retiring to attend to her duties in putting to bed the
+children of her mistress to whom she was nurse.  The bearers of her
+palanquin came forward, the Queen stepped into it, the sceptre-bearer
+marched before it, the band struck up their loudest tune, the people
+shouted till they were hoarse, and the procession returned in due state
+to old Mama Rosa's abode; where, like Cinderella when the clock had
+struck twelve, she was again converted into the old negro nurse.
+
+I give but a very brief account of our return journey, which commenced
+the next day, just in time to avoid the ill effects of an earthquake
+which gave Lima a fearful shaking, we being, when it took place, in the
+open country.  For the latter part of our journey we rode on in perfect
+silence.  Ithulpo seemed as well acquainted with the road as I was.  By
+degrees the valley opened out, and the white walls of our house became
+visible.  With beating hearts we ascended the mountain.  We reached the
+court-yard and leaped from our horses.  Well-known voices greeted us.
+My mother rushed out, my brothers and sisters followed.  All, though
+becoming very anxious for our return, were well and in safety.  Jose had
+returned just before, but nothing would induce him to say what had
+occurred to him.  He asserted that he had been left behind by us from
+his own wish, through illness, and that he was only just sufficiently
+recovered to perform the journey home.  Ithulpo declared his intention
+of remaining three or four days, till he could hear from his chief what
+he was to do; and of course, after the service he had rendered us, my
+father allowed him to act as he thought fit.  I have now to describe
+some of the more eventful portions of my narrative.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT.
+
+OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED.
+
+My readers must endeavour to remember the description I gave of the
+situation of our house, at the commencement of my work.  We were all
+seated in the same room in which the fugitive Manco first appeared to
+us.  Our early dinner was just over; and though we did not indulge in
+the Spanish custom of the _siesta_, it was a time that we generally
+refrained from active exertion, and employed it in reading or some
+sedentary occupation.  I had just laid down my book, and was looking out
+of the window down the valley, when on the lower country beyond, an
+unusual glitter of something which seemed to be moving along the road
+attracted my eye.  I watched it attentively.  Now the glittering object,
+which appeared in a long thin line, rose, and now it fell, as it wound
+its way over the uneven ground.  At length I called my father's
+attention to it.  As soon as he saw it, his more practised eye knew what
+it was.
+
+"A body of troops!" he exclaimed.  "They are marching in this direction,
+and are probably bound across the mountain."
+
+We all now engaged in watching the advance of the soldiers, on whose
+bayonets the sun shining had first drawn my attention; and many were the
+surmises as to the reason of their coming to our remote locality.  On
+they came, growing more and more distinct.  First a dark mass appeared
+below the shining steel; then we perceived that it was composed of human
+beings, though still mingled together in a dense body.  Next their
+banners and several officers on horseback were seen; and soon we could
+distinguish the hats and cross belts, and the colour of the uniform of
+the advanced guard.  They were marching as rapidly as the nature of the
+ground would allow.
+
+My father's military ardour was aroused at the sight.  He seized his hat
+and rushed out to a spot beyond the walls, whence he could command a
+clear view both up and down the valley.  I followed him, and we stood
+together on the knoll watching the advancing troops.  What was our
+surprise, however, to find, that instead of proceeding along the road
+over the mountains, the advanced guard began to mount the path leading
+to the height on which our house stood!  At the same instant, happening
+to turn my head towards the mountain, I saw descending it, at a rapid
+pace, a person whom I recognised as Ithulpo.  He rushed on, leaping from
+rock to rock at the risk of instant destruction.  Nothing served to
+impede his course.  Life and death depended on him.  He had discovered
+the soldiers.  For an instant he stopped, as if to consider whether he
+could reach us before they did.  Then on again he came as fast as
+before.  He was almost breathless when he arrived.
+
+"Call in all the people, and shut the gates and doors!" he exclaimed,
+panting as he spoke.  "The soldiers will destroy you all without mercy
+if they once gain an entrance.  Hold out but a short hour or less, and a
+force will be here which will drive back our enemies to the sea."
+
+My father, astounded at what he heard, considered what was best to be
+done.  The advanced guard was already nearly half way up the hill.  If
+we attempted to block out the Spaniards, it would at once be
+acknowledging ourselves guilty of some crime; but if we let them in,
+unless Ithulpo deceived us, we might be subjected to ill-treatment.  At
+the utmost, with the few servants and some Indians who happened to be in
+the house, we could not hope to hold out many minutes against the
+formidable force now approaching.
+
+"Do you hesitate?" exclaimed Ithulpo vehemently.  "I tell you, Senor, I
+speak the truth.  Ah, there comes the army of the Inca!  Death to the
+tyrants of Peru."
+
+As he spoke, he pointed up the mountain, when I saw, winding among the
+rocks, a large body of Indians.  Every instant others appeared, till the
+surrounding heights and the whole gorge, through which the road wound,
+was covered with them.  They rushed impetuously down the mountain side,
+a strong body making evidently for our house.  The Spaniards, who had
+also discovered them, redoubled their efforts to climb the mountain, for
+the purpose, it was also very clear, of occupying the house before the
+Indians could reach it.
+
+The Indians were armed with firelocks of every sort and size, and of
+curious antique forms, hoarded up with jealous care by father and son
+for many a long year, to be ready for the days of retribution, which
+they hoped had now arrived.  A large proportion, however, had only clubs
+and spears, and bows and arrows, and slings of the same description as
+those used by their ancestors when they first encountered the Spaniards.
+To counterbalance in a degree their deficiency, they had a few light
+mountain guns, carried on the backs of mules, engines of warfare which
+their enemies did not suspect them of possessing.
+
+Their costume also was equally a mixture of the ancient and modern.
+Some were dressed in skins, with their hair long, and the upper part of
+their bodies painted in many colours.  These were some of the wild
+tribes from a distance, who had never been subdued.  Others wore a sort
+of armour of leather or cotton, thickly padded, with shields of hides,
+and a profusion of feather ornaments; while most of those who carried
+firearms, and were from the more civilised districts, were clothed in
+garments of various coloured cottons, or had retained the ordinary dress
+of the present day.  It must be understood that I learned most of these
+particulars afterwards, for they were still too far off for me to
+observe either their arms or dress.
+
+On they came with the most terrific shouts, such as I did not think them
+capable of uttering.  It appeared as if they were giving vent to their
+feelings of hatred and revenge, pent up for centuries.  My father stood
+for an instant watching the two advancing forces, and considering what
+course to pursue to preserve his family from the dangers of the conflict
+which it was evident would soon be raging around us.
+
+"Into the house, David," he exclaimed; "Ithulpo's advice must be
+followed.  We will keep both parties out as long as we can."
+
+We were quickly inside the gates, and lost not a moment in calling the
+servants together, and in bolting and barring all the doors, and in
+putting up shutters to the windows.  We found Ithulpo in the house.  He
+said he had been ordered by his chief to remain with as till we were in
+safety.  My mother, whom he had warned of what was about to occur,
+though alarmed for the safety of her children, did not lose her presence
+of mind, but went round encouraging the servants to remain firm and obey
+their orders.  Ithulpo hurried here and there, directing and aiding the
+other men in preparing for a defence should the house be attacked.
+
+In a few minutes all the arrangements which with the means at our
+disposal we could hope to make, were concluded; and I had time to look
+out from a loophole in the side of the roof, to see how near the two
+parties had approached.  I first turned my eyes to the eastward towards
+the mountains, where, to my surprise, I found that the Indians, instead
+of rushing on at once to meet their enemies, had drawn up in battle
+array, quietly watching their advance.  Had they come on at once, their
+numbers alone, it appeared to me, would have overwhelmed the Spaniards.
+They held a position, however, from which it would, I saw, be impossible
+to dislodge them, and effectually blocked up the passage across the
+mountain.  Their appearance was very picturesque, from the variety of
+their costumes, and the numberless banners under which each cacique had
+mustered his followers.  Conspicuous among them was one which I
+recognised as that of the Incas, once more raised to meet the hereditary
+foes of their race.  I next looked down the valley.  The advanced guard
+of the Spaniards had just reached the brow of the hill, and would, I
+calculated, in three or four minutes be close to our gates.  Under these
+circumstances, an attempt to prevent them from entering the house would,
+of course, be considered an act of open defiance of the authority of the
+Spanish Government, which it would, I felt, be next to madness to make;
+and I therefore hurried down from my post to tell my father how matters
+stood.
+
+"We have but one course to pursue," he replied, when I told him what I
+had observed.  "I will trust to your courage and judgment, David; I will
+stay to open our gates to the Spaniards, while you take charge of your
+mother and the children, and conduct them down by the secret passage
+which leads out at the side of the mountain.  She has already packed up
+her jewels and the most portable valuables we possess.  Go and prepare
+her to set out the moment the soldiers reach the gate.  Collect some
+torches.  Tell Ithulpo.  He will accompany you, and protect you should
+you fall in with any straggling parties of Indians.  I will endeavour to
+join you as soon as I can escape without being observed, which I very
+soon, I doubt not, shall have an opportunity of doing."
+
+"No, no, father, I will obey you in everything but that," I replied.
+"Let me remain to receive the soldiers, while you escort my mother and
+brothers and sisters to a place of safety."
+
+I so earnestly argued the point, that at length my father saw that I was
+right; besides, as I observed, if the Spaniards accused us of siding
+with the rebels, I was much less likely, on account of my youth, to be
+ill-treated by them than he would be.
+
+Scarcely had he agreed to my wishes, than a loud knocking was heard at
+the gates.
+
+"Heaven protect you, my boy!" he exclaimed, as he hurried off to conduct
+my mother with the children and the females of the family down the
+secret passage.
+
+So unexpectedly had the events I have described occurred, and so
+occupied had we been, that there was no time for leave-taking, scarcely
+even to comprehend the full extent of the danger to which we were
+exposed.  There had been no weeping or lamentation, or any other sign of
+alarm; for the women, all looking up to my mother, and seeing her so
+fearless, seemed only anxious to follow her directions.  I watched them
+crowding after her to the door of the passage.  Some carried the
+children, and others baskets of provisions, and light articles of value
+which she wished to preserve.  My father led the way, and Ithulpo and
+Jose brought up the rear with a bundle of torches.
+
+As soon as they had disappeared, I ran towards the gates, calling on
+some of the remaining servants to assist me in opening them.  Before,
+however, I had reached the gateway, the most terrific shouts and shrieks
+I had ever heard assailed my ears.  I at once divined the cause.  The
+Indians had at length understood the purpose of the Spaniards, and had
+made an advance to intercept them.  The soldiers were now thundering at
+the gates, in an attempt to force them open, with the butt-ends of their
+muskets.  On finding this, I naturally became alarmed, lest, as I
+withdrew the bars while they rushed in, they would trample me down, and
+perhaps kill me; yet I felt that it would be cowardly to expose others
+to a danger I was ready to avoid if I could.  I therefore called on the
+servants to aid me in removing some of the stout bars and withdrawing
+the bolts, knowing that the people outside would quickly force open the
+rest.
+
+"We are opening the gates, my friends," I shouted.  "Quick, quick!"
+
+Scarcely had the bars been removed than the gates began to give way.  We
+leaped aside into a recess of the hall, and the soldiers rushed in,
+uttering loud imprecations on us for having so long delayed them.  Had
+they seen us, I believe they would have knocked us on the head; but
+fortunately they were in too great a hurry to take possession of the
+house to look for us.  There were in all not more than a hundred men; a
+small garrison for so extensive a range of buildings.  The rest of the
+troops had, I found, advanced up the mountain, in an attempt to force
+the passage across it.  From the strong array of Indians I had seen
+posted there, I considered that in this they would be disappointed.  The
+first thing the soldiers did on entering the house, was to find their
+way to that side facing the mountains.  Some stationed themselves at the
+windows, through the shutters of which they forced holes to admit the
+muzzles of their muskets; while others took up a strong position in the
+court-yard, whence they could annoy the advancing enemy.  Their hurried
+arrangements had scarcely been concluded, when the Indians in strong
+force rushed to the walls, uttering the most dreadful shouts of defiance
+and hatred.  The Spaniards reserved their fire till they came close upon
+them.  The word was given by the officer in command, and a volley was
+poured in upon them which proved fatal to many; yet the rest came on
+undauntedly to the attack.  I had intended to have followed my family
+into the vaults, and I should have been wiser had I done so; but a
+strong desire to see the fight, not unnatural to one of my age and
+temper, kept me back; and having escaped the observation of the
+soldiers, I had clambered up to the roof, where, through a small window,
+I could see all that was going forward.  It was a post I very soon found
+of considerable danger, for, when the Indians began to fire, the bullets
+came rattling about my head very thick.  What had become of the Indian
+servants I could not tell; but I concluded that they had wisely betaken
+themselves to the vaults, or to some other place of safety.
+
+I must observe that on either side the walls of the outbuildings and
+gardens extended across the hill to the summit of precipitous cliffs, so
+that the Indians could not get round to attack the house in the rear
+without clambering over these impediments.  As, however, the line was
+very extended, it required great activity and vigilance on the part of
+the Spaniards to defend it.  Several parties, of ten or fifteen men
+each, were employed in continually moving about from place to place
+whenever any of the enemy showed a disposition to scale the walls.  The
+main attack of the Indians was, however, directed against the house
+itself; indeed it was only subsequently that any attempts were made at
+other points.  The Indian chiefs showed the most undaunted bravery; and,
+though singled out by the Spaniards for destruction, they were always in
+the thickest of the fight, and exposed to the hottest fire.  I looked in
+vain for my friend Manco; and at first I was afraid that he might have
+been killed, till it occurred to me that he was probably with the main
+body of the army defending the mountain pass.
+
+I must now more particularly describe the scene as I beheld it from my
+lofty post.  I could tolerably well tell what was going on inside, from
+the sounds which reached my ears.  There was a gate in the east wall
+about the centre of the house, to force which the Indians in the first
+place directed their efforts, undaunted by the fire of the Spaniards,
+they brought up a sort of battering-ram, composed of the roughly-shaped
+trunk of a newly-felled tree, slung by ropes to men's shoulders.  They
+were led by a chief in the full war costume of the time of the Incas.
+Notwithstanding the showers of bullets flying round him, he remained
+unharmed, encouraging his followers by word and action to the assault.
+If one fell, his place was instantly supplied by another, till the
+battering-ram reached the gate.  Several thundering blows were heard
+above the rattle of musketry, the shouts of the assailants, and the
+cries of the wounded, as the engine was set to work.  The gate yielded
+to the blows, for it was old and decayed; and the Indians rushed in.
+Several fell pierced by the pikes of the Spaniards who guarded it, but
+many others pressed on, and the soldiers were driven back.  The
+court-yard was soon filled, and at length the Peruvians met the
+hereditary enemies of their race, face to face, in a struggle for life
+and death.  The Spaniards who had been left to guard the walls of the
+garden rallied, and attempted in a compact body to enter the house by
+one of the side doors; but the Indians threw themselves in their way,
+and attacked them with a courage I scarcely expected to see exercised.
+They rushed in upon them, some seizing the muzzles of their muskets,
+while others cut at them with their axes, or pierced them with their
+spears.  The Spaniards endeavoured to preserve their discipline; but
+they were at length broken and separated into parties of twos and
+threes, surrounded by Indians, who filled the entire court-yard, so that
+the combatants were now engaged in hand-to-hand fights, when it was
+evident that numbers would gain the day.  I had a strange longing, as I
+witnessed the dreadful scene, to rush down and join the fight.  My
+sympathies were, I own, with the Indians; but still I felt if I had
+thrown myself among them, I might have sided with the weaker party.  I
+did not, however, attempt to move.  The very action would have called me
+to my senses, and reminded me of the folly of interference.  A number of
+the Spaniards had fallen, and were instantly despatched and trampled on
+by the infuriated Indians.  At last a few, by desperate efforts, again
+united, and fought their way up to the house; when some of the garrison,
+who had been anxiously watching them, made a sortie by a side door, and
+succeeded in keeping the enemy at bay, while the greater number,
+desperately wounded, retired inside.  For a minute, from the rush the
+Indians made towards the door, I thought that they had succeeded in
+entering at the same time, and I expected to hear the sounds of strife
+below me; but the soldiers drove them back, and once more shut
+themselves in.
+
+Meantime the assault on the front of the house was going on vigorously.
+An attempt was made to bring the battering-ram into play; but so many of
+the people working it were shot, that it was allowed to drop close to
+the wall.  It served, however, as a sort of platform, from whence some
+of the Indians could throw their spears into the crevices of the
+windows, while others attempted to force them open with their clubs, and
+those armed with muskets continued a hot fire from the walls, and from
+every spot where they could find shelter.  From the groans I heard from
+below, it was evident that many of the shots had pierced the shutters
+and wounded the defenders of the house.
+
+While the scenes I have described were going on in my immediate
+vicinity, I observed that in the distance the main body of the Indians
+were engaged in a hot engagement with the troops who had marched towards
+the pass.  The light artillery of the former, though of no use for
+distant firing, had been judiciously placed in commanding positions, and
+masked with breastworks of stone and earth hastily thrown up.  Their
+fire was reserved till the Spaniards got close to them; then from each
+battery the iron shower went forth, sweeping through the ranks of the
+Spanish troops.  I could see them waver and attempt to turn back; but
+urged on by their officers, they again advanced.  A portion attempted to
+storm the heights on which the cannon were posted; but thousands of
+Indians were behind the batteries, and they were driven back with great
+slaughter.  Still the rest marched on.  Sometimes they were concealed
+from my sight, and I could only judge by the movements of the Indians on
+the higher ground that the fight was continuing; then again a turn of
+the path brought them once more in view.  Their numbers were fast
+diminishing; but pride, and contempt for a race they had for so long
+been taught to despise, urged them forward.  They fancied probably that
+they must prove victorious as soon as they could come into actual
+contact with their foes.  They were now also fighting for life as well
+as honour; for if driven back, few would expect to escape after the
+reception they had already met with.  Every instant, however, fresh
+bodies of Indians sprung up above and around them.  On every height
+warriors were posted, every rock concealed an enemy.
+
+My attention was now drawn off from the more distant scene by what was
+going on below me.  The Indians having penetrated through the gardens,
+now entirely surrounded the house; and it required all the vigilance of
+those within to repel them.  I could hear those below rushing about to
+each assailable point as their presence was most required; the officers
+shouted their orders, bullets rattled through the house, and the heavy
+blows of clubs and axes sounded on every side, while the whole house was
+filled with the smoke of the firearms.  When, however, after some time,
+the Indian? found that they could not gain an entrance in this manner
+without great loss, they retired behind the outer walls of the garden,
+and a comparative silence succeeded to the previous din of warfare.  It
+was but preparatory to another more desperate attempt.  From the
+mountain side I saw a fresh body of men advancing, who bore among them
+ladders roughly formed out of young fir-trees.  It was evident that they
+intended to climb to the roof for the purpose of making an entrance
+through it, and dropping down upon the garrison.  I foresaw that if they
+did so, the sacrifice of life must be very great, though they would
+ultimately succeed; for the Spaniards could scarcely defend themselves
+if attacked from above as well as on every side.
+
+I now began to repent of my folly in having remained behind; but as I
+had hitherto been unhurt by the bullets, which were striking the roof
+and walls on every side of me, I fancied that I should yet escape.  I
+tried to consider what I had best do, and came to the conclusion that it
+would be wiser to remain where I was.  If I should be recognised by any
+of the Indians, I had no fear of their injuring me; but in the confusion
+and heat of the fight I could scarcely expect to be so, and I felt that
+I must run all the risks of the assault if they should succeed in their
+object.  I almost hoped that they would give up the attempt, and allow
+the Spaniards to escape.  The success, however, of the main body of
+their army encouraged them to persevere.
+
+As far as I could judge at that distance, the troops were completely
+hemmed in, and were fighting for their lives, not to advance, but to
+return down the mountain.  Should the house be taken, all hopes of their
+so doing would be lost, as it would leave the besiegers at liberty to
+descend by the path leading to it, and to cut off all those who might
+escape.
+
+I was not left long in doubt.  By making a circuit to the left, the
+ladders were brought to a gable end of the house where there were no
+windows.  The Spaniards must have seen the ladders, but they had no
+means of attacking those destined to mount them unless by making a
+_sortie_; and this, with their diminished numbers, they were probably
+afraid of attempting.  The tramp of some men on the steps leading to the
+roof, showed me that they were aware of what was about to take place,
+but they were too late.  The Indians had already begun to tear off the
+tiles, and the soldiers who appeared were received with the discharge of
+a dozen muskets close to their faces.  Many fell; the rest attempted to
+retreat, and were precipitated to the floor below.  The Indians swarmed
+up in numbers, and filled the whole upper story.  I stood concealed in a
+small closet which had not been entered.  Just then I perceived, besides
+the smoke of gunpowder, a cloud of greater density ascending through the
+floor, and a strong smell of burning wood.
+
+"Merciful heaven!"  I exclaimed, "the house is on fire!"
+
+The Indians discovered what was the case at the same time, and rushed
+down the steps.  I followed the last of them.  I thought if I attempted
+to escape by the ladders, I might be mistaken for a Spaniard, and shot.
+The scene of fighting, bloodshed, and confusion, which met my sight
+below, passes all description.  The combat was carried on by both sides
+with desperation, the chief aim of the Indians being to open the gates
+to their friends without, and that of the Spaniards to prevent them.  In
+the confined space of the passages, the Indians had somewhat the
+advantage with their daggers or short swords, and their axes; and they
+continued fighting for a minute or more, but had, notwithstanding, made
+little progress, when, from the secret passage I have so often
+described, a band of half-naked warriors burst into the house, and
+uttering loud yells, set upon the Spaniards with the utmost fury.
+Several of the officers had been killed or severely wounded.
+Terror-stricken at these new opponents, the men gave way; some attempted
+to gain the roof, others to burst their way through the doors, though
+they must then have fallen into the hands of their enemies; but they had
+a new foe to contend with, as relentless as the former.
+
+The fire, which had been smouldering in one of the rooms, burst forth as
+the doors were thrown open, and, fanned by the breeze, the fierce flames
+crept across the walls and along the rafters and ceiling.  As the
+impending danger was perceived, many of the combatants ceased their
+strife, and victors and vanquished endeavoured to preserve their lives
+by flight; but some, worked up to fury, fought desperately on till the
+flames actually caught them in their toils, and claimed them for their
+victims.  Others, with their clothes on fire, Spaniards and Indians
+mingled together, were seen rushing forth and calling on their friends
+for aid--on their foes for mercy.  Mercy the Indians had never received,
+nor were they in a temper to grant it.  As each Spaniard appeared he was
+cut down, or was else driven back into the flames, till, as I afterwards
+heard, not one remained alive of all those who had lately garrisoned the
+house.
+
+In the meantime I had been watching an opportunity to escape.  The
+fighting was still continuing with the greatest fury, the combatants
+passing before me, as alternately the Spaniards forced their way
+forward, or were again driven back by the Indians who poured into the
+building, while the raging flames gained possession of it; when, as the
+heat became so intense that I could no longer hold my post, and a space
+for an instant appearing clear before me, I darted forward amid the
+fire, the whistling bullets and the weapons of the combatants.  I ran on
+in the hopes of reaching one of the doors at the west side of the house;
+but I was so blinded and stifled by the smoke, that I could scarcely see
+my way, or know what I was about.  I fancied that I perceived before me
+a number of Indians.  They were driving at the point of their spears
+several soldiers back into the fire that had reached that part of the
+house.  With fierce gestures some of them advanced towards me.  I tried
+to cry out and explain who I was, when, before the words were spoken, I
+was sensible of a sharp blow, it seemed on my side.  The next instant I
+saw axes and swords glittering above my head.  I sunk to the ground, and
+all consciousness passed from me.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE.
+
+THE INDIAN'S HUT--ALARMING NEWS.
+
+When consciousness at length returned, a very different scene met my
+sight.  I had an idea that something dreadful had occurred, but what it
+was I could not tell.  My belief was, that I had been dreaming that I
+had witnessed a battle, that I had fallen from my horse and hurt myself,
+and that I had been lifted up and carried along on men's shoulders to
+some distant place.  I had an indistinct recollection of a face full of
+tenderness often bending over me; but whether it were white or red I
+could not tell, the expression only had made any impression on me.
+There was, however, so great a want of clearness and reality in what I
+have described, that when I once more began to collect my thoughts, I
+was unable to determine whether or not I had been dreaming all the time,
+and was still half asleep.
+
+At length I opened my eyes, and discovered that I was lying under the
+shade of a small hut or wigwam, composed of the boughs of trees, and
+thatched carefully over with straw.  My couch was on the ground; but it
+was a very soft one, for the bed was stuffed with a quantity of the fine
+wool of the vicunas, and covered with a delicately woven woollen stuff.
+
+The hut stood in an open space amid a forest of gigantic trees, such as
+a tropical clime can alone produce.  Beyond were dark and frowning
+rocks, above which rose ridges of lofty mountains, one overtopping the
+other, till the more distant, covered with a mantle of everlasting snow,
+seemed lost in the clouds.  The sky overhead was of intense blue; and
+through it sailed, with outstretched wings, a mighty condor, carrying in
+his talons a kid he had snatched from the valley below to his eyrie on
+the summit of the rugged cliffs in the distance.  I watched the majestic
+bird as it sailed along, forgetful of my own condition, and wondering
+whether any one would be able to rescue the poor animal from its
+impending fate.  On it went, growing smaller and smaller, till it became
+a mere speck in the sky, and then disappeared altogether.
+
+This trifling circumstance served to arouse me, and I began to look
+about me with some attention.  I discovered, at length, that the forest
+glade was not tenantless, for the part farthest removed from me was
+crowded with dense masses of Indians, who were collected round one who,
+by his height, his rich dress, and noble bearing, I conjectured to be a
+chief, though I never recollected to have seen him before.  Other
+Indians kept arriving from all sides through the forest.  He stood
+elevated above the rest on a mound of earth under a canopy of cloth of
+many colours; and I observed that the _borla_, the red fringe worn only
+in ancient days by the proud Incas, bound his brow.  From this sign I
+could have no doubt that he was the well-known chieftain, Tupac Amaru,
+the lineal descendant of the Incas, and the elder uncle of my friend
+Manco.  By the Indians he had been known usually by the name of
+Condorcanqui, and by the Spanish as Don Jose Gabriel, Marquis de
+Alcalises, a title which had been given to one of his ancestors by the
+King of Spain.
+
+He was addressing the multitude in a harangue which, from the distance
+he was from me, I could not hear.  The people listened with deep
+earnestness and silence, till some expression aroused their passions,
+when brandishing their weapons, their bows, their clubs and spears, they
+uttered shouts of approval, or wild cries of defiance and hatred to
+their foe.
+
+I had no doubt that I was in one of the strongholds of the Indians,
+among the mountains on the eastern side of the Andes.  The Inca, for so
+I may call him, continued speaking for an hour or more, when I again
+fell off into a sleep or stupor.  I had discovered that I was wounded
+both in the head and side; and I felt dreadfully weak and ill.  The sun
+was just gliding behind the mountains when I again opened my eyes.  By
+my side sat a young and very beautiful woman, her large black eyes and
+the tinge of copper in her complexion showing that she was of Indian
+birth.
+
+In front of the hut stood a man whose figure I thought I knew.  An
+exclamation of surprise escaped my lips.  He turned his head at the
+sound of my voice, and I recognised, to my joy, the chief Manco.  He
+knelt down by my side.
+
+"Ah! my young friend, I rejoice to hear you speak once again," he said.
+"My wife and I have watched over you anxiously, for we thought with
+sorrow that you would never recover."
+
+I did not before know that Manco had a wife.  "You have been very good
+to me; and had it not been for her care, I must have died," I replied.
+"I dare say I shall now soon get well; but can you tell me anything of
+my parents and my brothers and sisters?  Is Ithulpo with you?"
+
+"I can give you no tidings of them," he replied, turning away his head.
+"Ithulpo has not come back to us, and I know not where he is."
+
+"My poor father and mother! they will think I have been killed," I
+ejaculated.  "It will make them grieve very much."
+
+"They will trust in God and hope for the best, as you must, my friend,"
+he observed.  "But I must not let you talk, or it will bring back the
+fever which has been on you.  Nita will watch over you, for I have
+matters which call me away."  As he spoke, his young wife handed me a
+cup filled with a cooling draught distilled from herbs, which I drank
+eagerly off.  "That will do you good," he remarked.  "To-morrow, if you
+are stronger, I will answer the questions I see you are eager to put.
+Now, farewell!"  He shook his head when he saw that I was about again to
+speak, and went off across the glade.
+
+I next tried to interrogate Nita, speaking in the Quichua language,
+supposing she did not understand Spanish; but with a smile she signed to
+me not to talk.
+
+"Sleep, stranger, sleep," she said in a sweet musical voice in her
+native tongue; "it will strengthen you to undergo the toils which are in
+store for you.  My husband has promised to tell you more to-morrow.  I
+must quit you if you persist in talking."
+
+Seeing that she was determined not to answer any of the questions I
+longed to ask, I felt that it would be ungrateful not to do as she
+desired me, and I once more resigned myself to sleep.
+
+The next day I felt better and stronger, and my wounds were healing
+rapidly; but Manco did not return, and Nita told me that he was engaged
+in mustering and arming his followers.  She would, however, give me no
+other information.  I felt very sad and solitary, notwithstanding her
+kindness; for, whenever I could collect my thoughts, I could not help
+fearing that some misfortune had befallen those I best loved on earth.
+Fortunately I slept or dozed away the greater part of the day, and this,
+I suspect, contributed to the rapidity of my recovery, aided by my good
+constitution and the pure air I breathed.  At night Nita sent an old
+woman to sit by me, who was relieved by a young lad of my own age.  I
+expected to gain some information from the latter, for he looked very
+intelligent; but when I spoke to him he shook his head, and I afterwards
+discovered that the poor fellow was deaf and dumb.  There were several
+huts near mine, one of which I found was occupied by Nita and her
+husband.
+
+Three days passed away, and at last, to my great joy, Manco came back.
+He seemed in high spirits when he spoke of the prospects of his people.
+He told me that the Indians throughout the whole of the mountain
+districts of Peru were up in arms, and that whenever they had
+encountered the Spaniards the latter had been defeated; though he
+confessed, with regret, that many atrocities had been committed by the
+enraged natives, and that the white inhabitants of whole villages and
+districts, including women and children, had been cruelly massacred, as
+had also the negroes and those with any white blood in their veins.
+
+I may as well here pause in my personal narrative to give a short
+account of the cause of the disastrous revolt of the Indians of Peru,
+from which so many thousand lives were sacrificed.  I have already
+spoken of the systematic cruelty practised by the Spaniards from their
+first occupation of the country, and of the dreadful effects of the
+_mita_ (as the parcelling out of the people among the conquerors as
+slaves was called, under the pretence of enabling them to learn trades
+and to become domestic servants, as also to make them work in the
+mines); but another injustice was the immediate cause of the outbreak.
+This was the _repartimiento_.  It was a law originally made by the
+Spanish Government, authorising the _corregidores_ to distribute among
+the natives goods imported from Europe at fixed prices, and which they
+were compelled to purchase whether they required them or not.
+Consequently, all sorts of things damaged and useless were sent out from
+Spain to Peru, where they were certain of realising a profit to be
+obtained nowhere else.  Among them might be found silk stockings,
+satins, and velvets--razors for men who never shaved, and spectacles for
+those whose eyesight was excellent.  I remember especially a consignment
+of spectacles arriving to a merchant at Lima.  He could nowhere dispose
+of them, till he bethought himself of applying to a _corregidor_ of a
+neighbouring district, who was his friend, to help him.  The latter
+threw no difficulty in the way.
+
+"Your goods shall be sold immediately, my friend," he replied; and
+forthwith he issued an order that no Indian should appear at church or
+at festivals unless adorned with a pair of spectacles, intimating the
+place where they were to be sold.  The poor people had to come and buy
+the spectacles, and to pay a very high price for them into the bargain.
+
+The Spanish Government, when they framed the law, had doubtless no idea
+that it would be thus abused; their intention being to civilise the
+people by the introduction of European clothing and luxuries, and in
+that manner to create a good market for the product of the industry of
+the mother country.  It is one of the many examples of the folly of
+attempting to force the interests of commerce by unjust laws.  For a
+time a few merchants sold their goods; but the ultimate result,
+independent of the bloodshed which it caused, was that the Indians took
+a dislike to Spanish manufactures, and the Peruvian market was
+ultimately lost for ever to Spain.
+
+The _repartimiento_ had lately been put in force by the _corregidores_
+with even more than the usual injustice.  The _corregidores_ were, I
+must explain, Spanish municipal officers, who had very great authority
+in the districts they governed; and as they were the receivers of all
+taxes, tributes, and customs, they were able to ensure it with unsparing
+rapacity, which they did not fail to do in most instances.
+
+At length, after years of suffering, the Indian population were
+thoroughly aroused, and determined to throw off the hated yoke of the
+tyrants.  Condorcanqui placed himself at their head; and before the
+Spaniards were aware of the storm which was gathering, he had collected
+a large but undisciplined army.  He had two sons, called Andres and
+Mariano, and a brother named Diogo, all of whom assumed the title of
+Tupac Amaru, which means in the Quichua language, _the highly endowed_.
+Several others of his relations also assumed the same title, and took
+command of the patriots' forces in other parts of the country.  The
+Spaniards, despising the Indians, and regardless of any warnings they
+might have received, were completely taken by surprise, and defeated in
+all directions.  The villages in whole districts were totally destroyed,
+and several large towns were besieged, many of which were captured and
+the inhabitants put to the sword.
+
+Of their first victory I had been a witness.  Condorcanqui had been
+_cacique_ of the province of Tungasuca, the _corregidor_ of which was
+among the most exacting and rapacious of his class.  For a long time the
+Indian chief had brooded over the sufferings of his countrymen, till he
+resolved to avenge them.  He confided his plans to a few other
+_caciques_ only, and to his own relatives.  They prepared the people by
+means of faithful emissaries throughout the country; and arms and
+munitions of war were collected with the greatest secrecy and
+expedition.  At an appointed day the signal of revolt was given; and the
+_corregidores_ in many of the provinces, whom they looked upon as their
+principal oppressors, were seized and executed.
+
+The _corregidor_ of Tungasuca had been entertaining a party of friends
+and some travellers at his house.  The feast was over; they had taken
+their _siesta_; and other guests had assembled to pass the evening with
+music and dancing.  His wife and daughters were there, and several
+ladies young and lovely.  The gay guitar was sounding in the hall, and
+happy hearts and light feet were keeping time to the music.  The
+_corregidor_ was standing apart from the rest in earnest conversation
+with a stranger.
+
+"This is my farewell assembly," he observed.  "I have now, thank
+Providence, amassed a fortune sufficient for my wants; and in a few
+weeks' time I shall sail for my beloved Spain.  This country is a good
+one for making money, but for nothing else."
+
+"It is a fine country, though; and history tells us was once a perfect
+paradise," remarked the stranger.
+
+"A paradise it might have been when the fields were better cultivated
+and more mines were worked; but the people have chosen to die off, and
+those who remain are idle and lazy, and will not work," answered the
+_corregidor_, with a scornful laugh.
+
+"They have lately taken to care very little for religion either,"
+observed Padre Diogo, the family chaplain, who now joined the speakers.
+"When we go among them with the saints to collect offerings, our boxes
+come back not a quarter full."
+
+Just then a servant, pale with terror, rushed up to his master.
+
+"What is the matter?" asked the _corregidor_.  "Speak, fool, speak!" for
+the man could only utter some unintelligible sounds.
+
+"The Indians! the Indians!" cried the man, at length finding his voice.
+"The house is surrounded by thousands of them!"
+
+"Impossible!" exclaimed the _corregidor_.  "The slaves would not dare--"
+
+Just then an unearthly cry rent the air.  The music ceased, and the
+strangers hurried to go--the ladies clasping their partners' arms, and
+the children clinging to their mothers.  Some of the men went to the
+windows.  What the servant had reported was too true.  On each side were
+seen, by the beams of the pale moon, dense masses of armed savages,
+forming an impenetrable barrier round the house; while others kept
+arriving from every direction.
+
+"What means all this?" exclaimed the _corregidor_.  "I will go out and
+order the slaves to disperse."
+
+"O stay, stay!" cried his wife, clinging to him with an air of despair,
+which showed her too true forebodings of evil.  "They are exasperated
+against you, and may do you harm.  Let Padre Diogo go; he has influence
+with the people, and may persuade them to depart."
+
+The _corregidor_ was easily persuaded to follow his wife's counsel, for
+his conscience told him that the Indians had just cause to hate him.
+One of the strangers suggested that efforts should instantly be made to
+barricade the house, and prepare for defending it, should the Indians be
+assembled with any hostile intention.  The _corregidor_ was about to
+give orders to that effect, when another loud unearthly shriek paralysed
+the nerves of all the inmates.
+
+"Oh, go, Senor Padre, go! save my husband and children!" cried the
+terrified wife.
+
+"Save us! save us!" cried the guests, now fully aware of the horrible
+danger that threatened them.
+
+Thus urged, Padre Diogo prepared, with many misgivings, to go forth and
+appeal to the people.  He looked round with a sad countenance on those
+he had lately seen so full of life and gaiety.
+
+"May Heaven and the saints protect you, my children," he said solemnly.
+
+Then taking in his hand a crucifix which hung in a little oratory near
+the hall, he opened the front door of the house and stepped out among
+the crowd.  He held the sacred symbol of his faith aloft in his hand.
+It served as his safeguard.  No one attempted to injure him; but before
+he could utter a word, he was surrounded and hurried away from the
+house.  No one would listen to his prayers and entreaties.
+
+"Mercy, mercy, for the unfortunates in yonder mansion!" he cried.
+
+"Mercy, mercy, Senor Padre! did they ever show mercy to us?" exclaimed a
+voice from the crowd.
+
+He looked back; the Indians were pouring into the house.  Loud agonised
+shrieks of women and children reached his ears.  A few shots were heard,
+followed by the triumphant shouts of the Indians.  Flames were seen
+bursting forth from the house.  They burned up bright and clear in the
+night air.  By their light he observed a man dragged along among a crowd
+of Indians.  They stopped and appeared to be busily at work.  In a short
+time a gibbet was erected near the burning building.
+
+"You are required to shrive a dying man, Senor Padre," said an Indian
+who approached him.
+
+He was led towards the engine of death.  There, beneath it, he found,
+pale with terror, and trembling in every limb, the _corregidor_, his
+patron.
+
+"They tell me, my son, that I am to perform the last offices of religion
+for the dying," said Padre Diogo.
+
+"For me, Padre, for me!" exclaimed the _corregidor_ in a voice of agony.
+"Alas! it is cruel mockery.  They have murdered my wife and children,
+my guests and servants--all, all are dead! and now they will murder me."
+
+"I will plead for you; I will try to save your life," said the padre.
+"But they cannot have been so cruel--they cannot have murdered those
+innocents!"
+
+"Alas!  I speak true.  Before my eyes they slew all I love on earth, and
+they only preserved me to make me endure longer suffering," said the
+wretched man.
+
+"You are delaying to perform your duty," cried a voice from among the
+crowd of Indians.
+
+"Mercy, mercy, for him, my children!" ejaculated the padre.
+
+"He showed us none," answered a hundred voices in return.  "Proceed,
+proceed, or he must die without shrift."
+
+The padre felt there was no hope; but he attempted to make another
+appeal.  He was answered in the same strain.
+
+"My son, you must prepare your soul for another world," he whispered
+into the ear of the _corregidor_.
+
+The unhappy man saw that indeed there was no hope for him, but still he
+clung to life.  He dared not die.  At that moment all his deeds of
+cruelty, all his tyranny, came crowding to his memory in a light they
+had never before worn.  Of what use now was to him the wealth he had
+thus unjustly acquired?  Oh! if men would at all times and seasons
+remember that they must one day die, and give an account of their deeds
+on earth, would it not restrain them from committing acts of injustice
+and wrong?  The _corregidor_ attempted to enumerate his misdeeds.  They
+were too many for him to recollect.
+
+"I have offended--I have miserably offended!" he exclaimed in his agony.
+
+"God is full of mercy.  He rejoices in pardoning the repentant sinner,"
+answered the padre.
+
+But his words brought no hope to a doubting mind.  He felt that his
+crimes were too great for pardon; though till that moment he had not
+considered them as crimes.
+
+The priest then proceeded to administer to him the last sacrament of the
+Roman Catholic Church.  He had scarcely concluded, when the Indians, who
+had stood around in reverential silence, raised a loud clamour for the
+instant execution of the culprit; but Padre Diogo was a brave man.
+
+"My children," he cried, "you have already committed a great sin in
+murdering the innocents who this night have fallen by your hands.  Their
+blood will cry to Heaven for vengeance.  Preserve this man's life,
+repent, and pray for mercy."
+
+A _cacique_ now stepped forward from among the crowd.
+
+"Senor Padre," he said, "we listen to your words with reverence, for you
+are a priest, and have ever proved our friend; but this man was placed
+in authority over us, and most cruelly did he abuse that authority.  He
+has been tried and found guilty.  As his ancestors murdered our last
+Inca, the great Atahualpa, so he must die.  He has but one minute more
+to live.  We have already shown him more mercy than he deserves."
+
+The tone, as much as the words of the speaker, convinced the padre that
+his penitent must die.  To the last he stood by his side, whispering
+such words of consolation as he could offer.  Several Indians, appointed
+as executioners, advanced; and in an instant the miserable man was
+hurried into eternity.
+
+"For this man's death, the vengeance of his countrymen will fall
+terribly on your heads, my children," exclaimed the padre; for the proud
+spirit of the Spaniard was aroused within his bosom, and he did not fear
+what they might do to him.  Too truly were his words afterwards
+verified.  No one seemed to heed what he said; and he was led away from
+the spot by a party of Indians, in whose charge he was given by the
+chief Tupac Amaru.  To his horror, he found that every man, woman, and
+child among the white inhabitants of the village had fallen victims to
+the exasperated fury of the Indians.
+
+This account was given me some time afterwards by Padre Diogo himself;
+though I thought the present a proper opportunity of introducing it.
+
+I will now return to my own narrative.  I rapidly recovered my strength,
+and in a few more days was able to leave the hut and walk about without
+assistance; but my anxiety for the fate of my family was in no way
+relieved; and though Manco made all the inquiries in his power, he could
+afford me no consolation.  I was sitting one evening in front of the
+hut, meditating what course to pursue, when Manco came and threw himself
+on the ground by my side.  He took my hand and looked kindly in my face;
+but I saw that his countenance wore an expression of deep melancholy.
+With a trembling voice I asked him what news he had to communicate.
+
+"Bad news, bad news, my young friend," he said; and then stopped, as if
+afraid of proceeding.
+
+"Of my parents?"  I inquired, for I could not bear the agony of
+suspense.  "Speak, Manco; has Ithulpo not arrived?"
+
+"Alas! no," he answered, sorrowfully shaking his head.  "I have too
+certain evidence of Ithulpo's death; and, faithful as he was, he would
+never have deserted your parents.  His body has been discovered near a
+village which has been attacked and burned by my countrymen.  There can
+be no doubt that they had taken refuge within it.  Alas that I should
+say it, who have received such benefits from them!  The Indians put to
+the sword every inhabitant they found there, and among them your parents
+must have perished."
+
+At first I was stunned with what he said, though I could not bring
+myself to believe the horrid tale.
+
+"I will go in search of them," I at length exclaimed.  "I will find them
+if they are alive; or I must see their bodies, if, as you say, they have
+been murdered, before I can believe you.  The Indians, whom they always
+loved and pitied, could not have been guilty of such barbarity.  If your
+countrymen have murdered their benefactors, I tell you that they are
+miserable worthless wretches; and the Spaniards will be justified in
+sweeping them from the face of the earth."
+
+As I gave utterance to these exclamations, I felt my spirit maddening
+within me.  I cared not what I said; I felt no fear for the
+consequences.  At first, after I had spoken, a cloud came over Manco's
+brow; but it quickly cleared away, and he regarded me with looks of deep
+commiseration.
+
+"Should I not feel as he does, if all those I loved best on earth had
+been slaughtered?" he muttered to himself.  "I feel for you, my friend,
+and most deeply grieve," he said aloud, taking my hand, which I had
+withdrawn, and watering it with his tears.  "Yet you are unjust in thus
+speaking of my people.  They did not kill your parents knowingly.  The
+sin rests with the Spaniards, whom they desired to punish; and the
+innocent have perished with the guilty.  Sure I am that not an Indian
+would have injured them; and had they been able to come into our camp,
+they would have been received with honour and reverence."
+
+I hung down my head, and my bursting heart at length found relief in
+tears.  I was still very weak, or I believe that my feelings would have
+assumed a fiercer character.
+
+"I have been unjust to you, Manco," I said, when I could once more give
+utterance to my thoughts.  "I will try not to blame your countrymen for
+your sake; but I must leave you, to discover whether your dreadful
+report is true or false."
+
+He took my hand again, and pressed it within his own.  It was night
+before I was tolerably composed; and as I threw myself on my couch
+within the hut, I wept bitterly as a child, till sleep came to relieve
+my misery.  I must not dwell on the anguish I felt on waking--the utter
+wretchedness of the next day.  I was too ill to move, though I prayed
+for strength to enable me to prosecute my search.  Strength and health
+came again at last; and in four days after I had heard the account given
+by Manco, I insisted that I was able to undergo the fatigue to which I
+must be exposed.  Nothing that Manco or his wife could say had power to
+deter me.
+
+"You will be taken by the cruel Spaniards, and executed as a spy," said
+Nita, the tears dropping from her eyes as she spoke.
+
+"No Indian on whom you can rely will be able to accompany you, and you
+cannot find your way alone," observed Manco.  "Besides, in these unhappy
+times robbers and desperadoes of every sort are ranging through the
+country; and if you escape other dangers, they will murder you."
+
+"My kind friends," I answered, taking both their hands, "I feel your
+regard for me; but I fear neither Spaniards nor Indians, nor robbers nor
+wild beasts, nor deserts nor storms, nor heat nor cold, nor hunger nor
+thirst.  I have a holy duty to perform, and I should be unworthy of the
+name I bear if I shrunk from encountering the danger which may be before
+me."
+
+"If go you must, and I see that there is no use in attempting to
+dissuade you, I will give you every assistance in my power," said Manco.
+
+And thus it was arranged that I was to set out on my perilous
+undertaking the next day but one, by which time he would be able to
+accompany me to the foot of the mountains, though he would not be absent
+long from his important duty in the patriots' army.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN.
+
+MY WANDERINGS WITH MANCO--HOW A PADRE TOLD HIS BEADS, BUT HIS BEADS TOLD
+HIM NOTHING.
+
+The morning I was to set out arrived at last, and I bid farewell to Nita
+and her little infant, which I kissed over and over again for its
+mother's sake; for my heart was full of gratitude for her kindness and
+compassion.  Manco had procured a mule for me--a small but strong
+animal, with great sagacity.  It was very sure-footed, and could climb
+up the most rugged rocks, and slip down mountain precipices like a goat.
+It was of the greatest value to me; for, weak as I was, I could not
+possibly have walked a mile of my journey.  We had to descend some way,
+and then to travel along the side of the mountain range, in order to
+gain the road which led across the Cordilleras.  I speak of the path as
+a road; but in many spots it was so narrow and difficult that I thought
+it would be impossible for any mule to get along.  Here and there large
+blocks of stone had been placed, with the intention of facilitating the
+ascent.  My mule sprung up them with such violent jerks that I was at
+first almost thrown over his head; but when we had to descend, he picked
+his way with great caution.  Manco went before me with a long pole in
+his hand, ready to assist me if I required it.
+
+After proceeding some way, I observed a large valley spread out at our
+feet.  It was full of people and numerous tents and huts.  Manco pointed
+to it with an expression of pride in his countenance.
+
+"There," said he, "you see the headquarters of the army which is to
+liberate our country from the power of the conqueror.  The Inca Tupac
+Amaru himself, and his two young and noble sons, are there.  In a few
+days the whole army will be assembled, when we march upon Cuzco, once
+more to reinstate our sovereign in the capital of his ancestors."
+
+Manco's dark eyes flashed proudly as he spoke; for after the recent
+success of the Indian arms he had no doubt of victory.  I thought
+differently.  Hitherto the Indians had fought among mountains, where
+discipline was of little avail, and their bows and slings could send
+their missiles with effect; or they had attacked unfortified and
+unprepared villages; but in the neighbourhood of Cuzco they would be in
+an open valley, where the cavalry and artillery of the Spaniards could
+be brought into play, and I trembled for the consequences.  I was
+unwilling to damp Manco's ardour; but I endeavoured to point out the
+dangers I foresaw, and urged him to persuade the chiefs not to be
+over-confident.
+
+We kept along the ridge of the height forming the side of the valley
+without descending, and I was thus able to obtain a full view of the
+Indian army.  I was surprised not only at the vast number of people
+collected, but at the apparent order which prevailed, and at the great
+state which the Inca and his chief officers maintained.  In the centre
+of the camp, amid a number of banners fluttering in the breeze, was
+erected a large canopy of gay-coloured cloth, beneath which was a
+throne, richly ornamented with gold and silver.  A flight of steps led
+to it, along which were ranged a body of guards armed with battle-axes
+and spears.  The Inca sat on his throne, dressed in the ancient costume
+of his ancestors, which I have before described; and officers of various
+ranks kept continually coming up to receive orders.  As they approached,
+they bowed reverentially before him, and knelt at his feet while he
+addressed them.  I could scarcely believe that what I saw was a reality,
+and that I was not dreaming of the accounts I had read of the early
+history of the country.  It did not then occur to me that much valuable
+time was thus lost to the Indian cause in idle ceremony; and that Tupac
+Amaru would have had a better chance of success had he at once swept the
+country from north to south with his forces, before the Spaniards had
+recovered from their terror and dismay at their first defeat.
+
+After stopping for a few minutes to gaze at the novel and interesting
+scene, we turned up a path through a ravine, and were quickly again in
+the solitude of the mountains.  We travelled upwards for three days,
+sleeping at nights at the huts of Indians, where we received a warm
+welcome from their wives, but the men were in all cases absent.  We were
+now crossing the Puna heights, as the table-lands on the upper part of
+the Cordilleras are called.  We were some fourteen thousand feet above
+the level of the sea.  On either side arose the lofty summits of the
+Cordilleras, covered with the ice of centuries.  Before us stretched out
+to a great extent the level heights, covered with the dull yellow Puna
+grass, blending its tint with the greenish hue of the glaciers.  It was
+truly a wild and desolate scene.  Herds of vicunas approached to gaze
+with wonder at us, and then turning affrighted, fled away with the
+swiftness of the wind.  The Puna stag, with stately step, advanced from
+his lair in the recesses of the mountains, and gazed on us with his
+large wondering eyes.  Farther off were groups of huancas, looking
+cautiously at us as we passed, while the rock-rabbits disported nimbly
+around us.  I begged Manco not to shoot them, for we did not require
+food, and I never liked killing an animal for sport.
+
+The mountain air and exercise had completely restored my strength, when
+on a sudden an indescribable oppression overcame me.  My heart throbbed
+audibly, and my breathing became short and interrupted, while a weight
+as if of lead lay on my chest.  My lips swelled and burst, blood flowed
+from my eyelids, and I began to lose my senses.  I should have fallen
+from my mule had not Manco lifted me off.  A grey mist floated before my
+eyes, and I could neither see, hear, nor feel distinctly.  Manco sat
+down, and took my head in his lap; when after a time I began to recover,
+and I saw that he was anxiously looking at a dense mass of clouds
+gathering above us.
+
+"Up, up, my friend, and mount if you value your life!" he said.  "You
+are better now.  A storm is about to burst, and we must face it boldly."
+
+Scarcely had he spoken, when, loud peals of thunder were heard, and
+lightning darted from the skies.  Down, too, came the snow in flakes, so
+heavy that it was impossible to see many yards before us.
+
+"We must push on," observed Manco.  "We have lost much time already, and
+night will overtake us before we can reach the nearest village."  The
+snow, however, fell faster, and completely concealed all signs of the
+path.  "When the snow-storm has ceased, I shall easily find the way by
+the flight of the birds we are certain to see," he continued.  "So, fear
+not.  You are suffering from the keen air of the mountains, and you will
+quickly recover when we begin to descend to lower ground."
+
+Even his sagacity was at fault, and we soon found that we had wandered
+from the right path.  As I did not grow worse, I kept up my spirits.
+Two or three hours passed away, and the snow ceased.  It had scarcely
+done so, when the clouds opened, and the bright glance of the burning
+sun burst forth dazzlingly on the white expanse of snow before me.  In a
+moment I felt my eyes stricken with almost total blindness.  A cry of
+horror escaped me.  I fancied that I should not recover.  Manco tried to
+console me, assuring me that I was merely suffering from the _surumpe_,
+a common complaint in those regions.
+
+"I ought to have guarded you against it," he said.  "Strangers
+unaccustomed to the sight of the glittering snow constantly suffer from
+it; but it will soon pass away."
+
+I, however, thought differently, though I was unwilling to complain to
+him.  We went on as fast as we could; but the sun set when we were still
+a long way from the edge of the plain.  We had with difficulty avoided
+several swamps, in which he had told me animals and men were sometimes
+lost.  They are the chief dangers of that region.  Fortunately, he
+recognised a range of lofty rocks near us.
+
+"There is a cavern within them not far off, where we must rest for the
+night," he said.  "We might have a worse lodging, for we shall there, at
+all events, be sheltered from the snow and wind."
+
+It was now perfectly dark; but after searching for some time, we
+succeeded in discovering the cavern.  While he tethered my male outside,
+I staggered in, and, overcome with fatigue and the pain I was suffering,
+sunk upon the ground, a stone which lay near me serving for a pillow.  I
+begged him to let me remain where I was, while he refreshed himself with
+some of the provisions we had brought with us.  We had no means of
+striking a light: and as he could afford me no assistance beyond
+throwing a poncho over me, he did not interfere; but soon afterwards,
+stretching himself out near me, he fell asleep.  Having been on foot all
+day, he required rest as much as I did.  As soon as I fell into a
+slumber, the smarting pain of the _surumpe_ awoke me, and I was obliged
+to give up all hope of sleep.  How long the night seemed!  My thoughts
+all the time were active, and I need scarcely say that they were fixed
+on my expedition, and means of accomplishing my object.
+
+It was towards the morning, when a dreadful turn was given to them.
+Happening to stretch out my hand, it came in contact with a cold clammy
+substance.  I drew it back, and an indescribable horror crept over me;
+but influenced by an impulse I could not control, I again put it out
+towards the object.  It rested on the face of a human being.  I was
+certain that I could not be mistaken.  I felt the mouth, and nose, and
+hair; but the features were rigid and immoveable.  It was that of a
+corpse.  Constitutionally fearless, under other circumstances I should
+have got up and removed myself from the disagreeable neighbourhood,
+supposing that some unfortunate traveller had like us taken shelter
+there, and died from cold or hunger; but weak with mental and bodily
+suffering, I had now no power over myself, and lay trembling with
+horror, not even venturing to call out to Manco to break the dreadful
+spell which was upon me.  It is impossible to describe my feelings, or
+the ideas which took possession of my mind.  Whose corpse could it be?
+Might there not be others in the cave?  I thought, if I could be said to
+be thinking.  At last, I believe I swooned away, for most certainly I
+did not sleep.  An exclamation from Manco aroused me.  Daylight was
+streaming into the cavern, and he was sitting up and gazing towards me.
+In another instant he was by my side, and, with careful forethought, was
+endeavouring to keep my attention fixed on himself, so as to prevent me
+from seeing the dreadful objects in the inner part of the cavern.
+
+"Manco," I said, "I have had a horrid dream.  I fancied that the cavern
+was full of corpses."  As I spoke I really thought I had been dreaming.
+
+Without answering me, he lifted me up, and led me towards the open air.
+An impulse I could not restrain made me turn my head; and on the ground,
+close to where I had rested, I saw the corpse of a man.  Trembling in
+every limb, I stopped to look at it.  It was that of a white man.
+Several ghastly wounds were seen on the broad chest, and another on the
+head.  The dress and the full black beard and moustache showed me that
+he was a Spaniard.  There were no other corpses to be seen; and as I
+looked at the object in the broad daylight, with the fresh breeze
+blowing in my face, the undefined horror I had before felt completely
+vanished.  I felt ashamed of my previous fears, and releasing myself
+from his support, assured him that I had recovered my strength.  The
+effort itself assisted to restore my nerves to their usual tension; and
+I was able to turn back and examine the corpse.
+
+"Who can have murdered the man and placed him here?"  I asked.
+
+Manco shook his head.  "It is a bad thing--a very bad thing!" he
+replied, as he examined the wounds of the man.  "I fear my countrymen
+have done it.  He must have been taken prisoner, for I find the marks of
+cords round his wrists, and he attempted to escape, and thus was killed;
+but ask no further questions.  Come, it is time to proceed."
+
+The little mule was safe outside, so I mounted and hastened from the
+spot.
+
+As I rode on, my spirits returned with the air and exercise, and my mind
+no longer dwelt on the events of the previous night; and the effects of
+the _surumpe_ also began to wear off.  Several rock-rabbits crossed our
+path, two of which Manco shot; and when we came to a height which
+sheltered us from the wind, we halted for breakfast.  Having tethered
+the mule, we set to work to collect the dry grass and the stems of
+creepers growing from the clefts of the rocks for fuel.  Manco had with
+him the means of striking a light, and a fire was soon kindled, over
+which we cooked the rabbits and boiled some cocoa in a tin pannikin, by
+the aid of which, with some Indian corn bread, we made a very fair meal.
+In an hour more we reached the edge of the _Alto_, or high plain, over
+which we had been travelling.  Before us lay, deep and deeper, the dark
+valleys of the lower mountain regions, among which, scarcely
+discernible, were scattered numerous Indian villages.  Far beyond a more
+level country stretched out, till it was lost in the distant line of the
+horizon.  For several hours we descended, till we began to experience a
+very great change of temperature.  We rested that night at a village
+inhabited entirely by Indians.  It was situated among such inaccessible
+rocks that they had no fear of being surprised by the Spaniards.  To my
+great grief, Manco told me that he must quit me by dawn on the morrow.
+I of course could not be so selfish as to wish to detain him.
+
+"I have been, fortunately, able to find a trustworthy guide for you," he
+said.  "He is a lad a year or so younger than you are, but very quick
+and intelligent.  He is of a white complexion, though he has an Indian
+heart, for he has been among us from his childhood.  When an infant he
+was discovered by some of our people in a wood near a Spanish village,
+and was brought hither by them.  Their idea is, that either he had been
+deserted by his mother, or that his parents had been murdered by
+robbers, who, for some reason or other, saved his life.  He is called
+Pedro.  He speaks Spanish well; and should you fall among the Spaniards,
+he will be supposed to belong to their people.  Should you discover your
+parents, of which I have no hopes, give him his liberty, and he will
+return to us; and if you abandon the attempt, he will lead you back to
+us.  But I will bring him to you, and he will speak for himself."
+
+On this Manco left the hut where we were lodging, and soon returned,
+accompanied by a youth, whose clear complexion and full black eyes
+showed that he was descended from the race who had conquered Peru.
+
+"Are you willing to accompany me, Pedro?"  I asked in Spanish.  "You
+will probably have many dangers to encounter."
+
+He looked at me attentively for some time, as if examining my
+countenance to judge if he could trust me, before he answered.
+
+"Yes," he at length said.  "I will aid you gladly in the work you are
+about.  I care not for dangers.  God will protect me, as He has before
+done."
+
+I was much struck with his words and manner, and gladly accepted his
+services.
+
+"But I have no means of rewarding you, Pedro," I remarked.  "Some day I
+may have, but the time is probably far distant."
+
+"A good action is its own reward," he answered, in an unaffected tone.
+"I require no reward.  My chief and benefactor wishes me to go; and I
+desire to obey him."
+
+Pedro was an unusual character.  He possessed all the genius and fire of
+his Spanish fathers, with the simple education of an Indian
+uncontaminated by mixing with the world.  The next morning he appeared
+habited in the dress of a Spanish farmer's son, which was the character
+he was to assume should he be interrogated.  He rode a mule similar to
+mine.  He and I set forward together towards the west at the same time
+that Manco started to return to the Indian camp.  I found that Manco had
+supplied him amply with money to pay our expenses, when we should reach
+the territory inhabited by Spaniards; but he told me that we should
+require none while we wandered among the Indian villages.
+
+"I thought that all the Indians were poor, and that even a chief like
+Manco would have little or no money," I remarked.
+
+He smiled as he answered, "When men are slaves, if they are wise they
+conceal their wealth, lest their masters should take it from them.
+These mountains are full of rich mines of gold and silver, with which
+none but the Indians are acquainted.  Many such exist, known only to
+particular families, to whom the knowledge has been handed down from
+father to son.  Perhaps Manco has such a mine; but he is too wise to
+speak of it."
+
+I did not think it right to inquire further about the source of Manco's
+wealth; but I was satisfied that he could spare what he had provided for
+me.  My young guide, however, was inclined to be communicative, and he
+beguiled the way by a number of interesting anecdotes.
+
+"O yes," he continued; "the Indians are wise to conceal their riches;
+for if the Spaniards discovered them, they would no longer be theirs.
+Not far from this, there lives a good padre, the curate of the parish.
+He is very much liked by all the Indians, though he has his faults like
+other men.  He is very kind-hearted and generous, and is ready to
+administer to the sick in body as well as in mind; but he is sadly
+addicted to gambling.  He will play all day and night with anybody who
+will play with him, till he has lost his last real, and has often, I
+know, to go supperless to bed.  When the Indians know by his looks and
+his staying at home that he is in poverty, they will send him fowls and
+eggs, and bread and provisions of all sorts.  One day he had just
+received his yearly stipend, when the evil spirit came upon him, and he
+went away to the nearest town and lost it all.  He came home very
+miserable, and could scarcely attend to his duties.  Fortunately for
+him, an Indian, whose sick child he had attended, had compassion on his
+grief, and told him to be comforted.  The next day, as soon as it was
+dark, the Indian came to his house, bringing a bag full of rich silver
+ore.  The padre was very grateful; but instead of spending it wisely to
+supply his wants, he took it into the town, and it went the way of his
+stipend--into the pockets of his gambling companions.  Again he returned
+home as full of grief as before.  The Indian soon heard of what had
+happened, for he loved the padre very much; so he brought him another
+bag of silver.  The padre's propensity was incurable, and he lost that
+as he had done the first.  The Indian's generosity was not yet worn out,
+and he brought him a third bag full of ore.  When the padre saw it, he
+could scarcely believe his own senses.
+
+"`I fear that I am robbing you, my kind friend,' he said.  `I shall
+bring you into the poverty to which I have foolishly reduced myself.'
+
+"`O no, Senor Padre; there is plenty more where this comes from,'
+returned the Indian.  `What I have given you is but like a drop of water
+in the ocean to the abundance of rich ore which there lies concealed.'
+
+"`If that be the case, my kind friend, why not show it to me?' exclaimed
+the padre.  `I shall soon become a rich man, and will no longer think of
+gambling.'
+
+"After much persuasion, the Indian agreed to lead the padre to the mine,
+on condition that he would consent to be blindfolded both going and
+returning.  The next night they accordingly set out, the Indian leading
+the padre by the hand.  After walking for some hours, the bandage was
+taken from the padre's eyes, and he found himself in a spot he had never
+before visited.  The Indian set to work, and clearing away a quantity of
+earth and bushes, exposed to the delighted eyes of the padre a cave full
+of glittering masses of pure silver.
+
+"`There, Senor Padre, is the mine I spoke of.  Take as much as you can
+carry, and we will return speedily home,' said the Indian.
+
+"The padre filled a number of bags he had brought with him under his
+cloak, till he could scarcely stagger onwards with the weight.  While
+also he was collecting the treasure, avarice seized his soul, and he
+forgot the dictates of honour.  He was then again blindfolded; and he
+set forward on his return in the same manner as he had come.  But though
+he had got as much silver as would have supplied him with food and
+clothing for many years, he wanted more.  He contrived, therefore, as he
+thought unperceived, to break the string of his rosary, and as he
+returned he dropped one bead, then another, hoping thus to trace his way
+by means of them back to the mine.  At last he reached home,
+congratulating himself on his cleverness.  Of what use, he thought, is
+all that silver to the Indians?  They are not the better for it, but I
+shall know how to spend it.  He was eager to set out the next morning,
+when just as he was leaving his house, the Indian stepped in at his
+door.
+
+"`Ah, Senor Padre, I am come to see how you are after your long walk,'
+said the Indian, smiling.
+
+"`Very well, my son--very well, thank the saints,' answered the padre.
+`I am just going out to take another.'
+
+"`I hope it may be a pleasant one, Senor Padre,' observed the Indian.
+`But I forgot--I came to return you your rosary, which you dropped last
+night.'
+
+"And to the dismay of the padre, the Indian gave him all the beads which
+he had carefully collected.  The padre had nothing to say for himself;
+but the Indian did not utter any other rebuke, though he never again
+offered to bring him any more silver ore."
+
+"I think the Indian behaved very well; but I can find no excuse for the
+padre," I remarked.
+
+With similar stories, which he told with far more spirit than I have at
+this distance of time been able to give to them, Pedro endeavoured to
+divert my mind from dwelling on the thoughts which he saw oppressed it.
+He certainly succeeded better than I could have expected.
+
+Our road led us over a lofty height, at the summit of which we halted to
+rest ourselves and our mules.  As we were sitting on the ground, and
+employed in eating our dinner, we observed a large condor high above us
+in the air.  He approached us with outstretched wings, and at first I
+thought that he had been attracted by the provisions we carried, and
+that he was about to attack us.  I cocked a gun Manco had given me, and
+prepared to shoot him should he come near us; but he passed beyond us,
+and presently he pounced down on the ground at some distance off.
+Instead, however, of his rising again with his prey in his talons as we
+expected, we saw him violently flapping his wings; and, to our great
+surprise, directly afterwards he was surrounded by a number of Indians,
+who began to strike him about the head with sticks to keep him quiet.
+Our curiosity induced us to run as fast as we could towards the spot,
+when we found that the condor had been caught in a trap laid on purpose
+for him.  A hole had been dug in the ground, over which had been spread
+a fresh cowhide, with parts of the flesh still adhering to it.
+Underneath this an Indian had concealed himself with a rope in his hand.
+The condor, attracted by the smell of the flesh, had darted down on the
+hide, when the Indian below had firmly bound his claws together, and
+held on with all his might, the cowhide protecting him from the attacks
+of the bird's beak.  The other Indians had been concealed near the spot
+to help their companion.  They quickly secured the monster bird, and
+prepared to carry him off in triumph to their village.  At first when we
+appeared, they looked suspiciously at us; but after Pedro had spoken to
+them, their looks brightened up, and they invited us to accompany them
+to their dwellings, which were on the other side of the height.
+
+We gladly accepted their invitations, for they lived near the road we
+wished to pursue.  I have so often spoken of the wretchedness of Indian
+huts, and of the coarseness of the food, that I need not describe them.
+They were no exceptions to the general rule.  The scene before them was
+wild and dreary.  At some distance off appeared a mass of long rushes,
+beyond which extended a sheet of water, the opposite shore of which was
+scarcely visible.  Numerous flocks of waterfowl were hovering over the
+marshy banks of this lake, which I found was of very considerable
+extent, though inferior to that of Titicaca, the largest in South
+America.
+
+Pedro and I were sitting round a fire in the hut with our Indian hosts,
+before retiring to rest, when a loud moaning noise was heard in the
+distance.  The Indians regarded each other with terrified looks.
+
+"What can cause that noise?"  I inquired of Pedro.  He shook his head,
+and turned to one of the Indians.
+
+"It forebodes evil to the herdsmen," answered the man.  "In yonder lake,
+which is so profound that no plummet has ever reached the bottom, there
+dwell huge monsters, neither beasts nor fish.  No man has ever seen one
+near; but at night, when the moon is shining, they have been descried at
+a distance, prowling about in search of prey.  When that noise is heard,
+which has just sounded in our ears, it is a sign that they have attacked
+some of the cattle feeding in the surrounding pastures; and to-morrow
+morning there is no doubt several will be found missing."
+
+"But cannot the monsters be caught or killed?"  I asked.  "Surely it is
+foolish in the herdsmen to allow the cattle to be killed with impunity."
+
+"Who would venture to do it?" exclaimed the Indian with a look of
+horror.  "Besides, I told you, Senor, that no one has seen them near
+enough to observe their form; and sure I am that neither stones cast
+from slings, nor arrows shot from bows, nor bullets from guns, would
+pierce their hides."
+
+"I should like to encounter one of these monsters," I replied.  "A ball
+from a good rifle would soon enable me to judge what they are like."
+
+"May Heaven protect you from such an adventure!" answered the Indian.
+
+"If I ever return here, we will see."
+
+I said this because I very much doubted the existence of the monsters he
+spoke of, and suspected that the moanings we heard arose most probably
+from some of the cattle which had sunk into the marshes near the lake,
+and were unable to extricate themselves.  In every part of the world
+where I have since been, I have heard similar legends, and have in most
+instances been able to discover a very probable explanation of the
+mystery.
+
+The rays of the sun were shining on the waters of the lake as we passed
+one end of it the next morning, and it now wore a far more cheerful
+aspect than it had done on the previous evening.  The two next days of
+our journey were one continual descent, and we were now approaching the
+ruined village, near which the body of the faithful Ithulpo was said to
+have been discovered, and in which I supposed my parents had taken
+refuge.
+
+I could no longer attend to any of Pedro's remarks, but rode on sadly
+and moodily, dreading to find the truth of the dreadful report I had
+heard, confirmed, yet not daring to believe in its possibility.  It was
+now necessary to proceed with great caution, for we were in a part of
+the country which had been inhabited chiefly by Spaniards; but we found
+that they had all fled or been destroyed, and the blackened ruins of
+farm-houses and hamlets met our sight every league we proceeded.  Here
+and there we encountered an Indian, of whom Pedro made inquiries; but
+from no one could we obtain information to guide us.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN.
+
+DREADFUL SURMISES--TAKEN PRISONERS BY INDIANS.
+
+We were passing over a somewhat level country, when Pedro pointed to a
+line of blackened walls and charred timbers in the distance.
+
+"Yonder is the place you seek, Senor," he said, in a tone of
+commiseration which touched my heart.  "You are seeking for parents whom
+you have known, and their memory is dear to you.  I, alas! have never
+known any parents to love, and my heart is vacant."
+
+I knew he wished to utter words of consolation, but I have no
+recollection of what more he said.  My mind was too full of the work
+before me.  I urged on my mule, for I felt an eager desire to search
+through the village; yet what information could I expect to find in
+those deserted ruins?  As we approached, we saw a wretched half-starved
+dog skulking among the walls.  He looked at us to see if we were friends
+whom he knew, and then fled away.  Not a human being was to be seen.  We
+passed through the desolate streets.  Some of the walls had been cast
+down, and the roofs of all the houses had been burned and fallen in.
+The church only was standing; but the doors were open, and the interior
+presented a scene of horror which baffles description.  Numbers of the
+unfortunate inhabitants had fled there as their last place of refuge,
+but it had proved no sanctuary to them.  In every part of the building,
+on the steps of the altar, and by the altar itself, were seen heaped
+together the mangled remnants of the forms of human beings.  Their
+dresses showed that they were those of men, women, and children; but
+weeks had now passed since they were slain, and their bones alone
+remained.  The beasts and even the birds of prey had been there, or it
+would have been impossible to enter into that charnel-house.
+
+Pale and trembling I wandered through it, scarcely able to draw breath
+from the foul air which filled the place; but no sign of those I sought
+could I find.  At length I staggered out again into the open air, where
+Pedro, who was holding our mules, waited for me.  I determined next to
+search each of the houses separately.
+
+As we were wandering through one of them, an object met my sight which
+riveted my attention.  It was a silk handkerchief.  With a trembling
+hand I picked it up.  It was exactly such a one as I remembered to have
+seen my sister Lilly wear round her neck.  It was of an ordinary sort; a
+little three-cornered handkerchief with a pink fringe.  There might be
+many such in the country.  This might have been the property of some
+Spanish girl or young Chola, for there was no mark on it to distinguish
+it; but still, as I looked at it, I felt almost confident that it had
+been my sister's.  How it had escaped being burned or trampled on I
+could not tell.  Perhaps it had been dropped near one of the outside
+walls, which the fire did not reach, and had been blown by the wind into
+the corner of the room, where I found it.  Pedro was of the same
+opinion.  I placed it carefully in my bosom, though how it could prove
+of use I could not tell.  We searched and searched in vain through every
+other house in the village; but no other trace or sign which I could
+recognise could we find.  The whole day was thus spent, and night almost
+surprised us while we were still in the ruins.
+
+Near the village was a meadow, where Pedro had led our mules to feed;
+and we had, besides, found some Indian corn, which we had given them; so
+they were in good condition to proceed.  But after the example of the
+state of the country we had seen, it was impossible to say where we
+could hope to find shelter for ourselves.  I asked Pedro if he would
+object to remain in the ruins all night.
+
+"Oh, may the good saints defend us from such a thing!" he answered with
+a look of dismay.  "After the sights we have seen, how can you think of
+doing so, Senor?"
+
+"The dead cannot hurt us, you know; and we can easily fortify ourselves
+against any attack of wild beasts," I answered.  "We will shut our mules
+up in a room of one of the houses where no people have been killed; and
+we can sleep in a room next to them.  We shall find plenty of timber to
+barricade ourselves in, and they will give us good warning if any wild
+beast comes near to attempt an entrance."
+
+For a long time Pedro was not convinced of the wisdom of my proposal; or
+rather, his dislike to the idea of remaining prevented him from being
+so.  His objections were very natural; and I own that had I not been
+desirous of making a further search in the neighbourhood the following
+morning, I would myself have much rather proceeded, if there had been
+sufficient daylight to enable us to find another resting-place.  This
+was, however, now totally out of the question; so Pedro was obliged to
+accede to my wishes.  I fixed upon a house on the outskirts of the
+village, which had, it appeared, been the residence of a person of
+superior wealth and rank.  Some of the rooms had been but little
+injured.  One of them I selected as our abode for the night, and an
+adjoining one as a stable for our mules.  Having collected some food for
+our trusty little animals, we brought them inside the house.  We first
+cleared away the rubbish out of the rooms, and then placed against the
+doorway some timbers and planks, which we tore up from the floors, so as
+effectually to prevent the ingress of any wild beasts.
+
+By the time we had thus fortified ourselves it had become perfectly
+dark; and I must own that a feeling such as I had never before
+experienced, crept over me, as I thus found myself shut up with my young
+companion in that abode of the dead.  I knew that I must arouse myself,
+or it would master me completely.
+
+"Come, Pedro," said I, "we must now light a fire.  It will serve to
+cheer our spirits, and to keep us warm, for I feel the evening chilly."
+
+The floor of the room we were in was composed of bricks, so that we
+could make our fire in the middle of it; and as there was no roof, we
+had no fear of being incommoded by the smoke.  From among the rubbish I
+managed to pick out several smaller bits of timber, which had escaped
+being totally consumed, and some of the dry grass we had collected for
+our mules served as lighter fuel to kindle a flame.  Having thus
+collected sufficient materials, we piled some of them up in the middle
+of the room, and kept the rest in a corner, to feed our fire as it
+required.
+
+A flame was soon kindled; and as it burned up brightly, it contributed
+very much to banish the feelings which had before oppressed me, aided, I
+suspect, by the exertions which it had been necessary to make to collect
+the fuel.  I have always found that exertion both of mind and body is
+the best, I may say the only, remedy for melancholy and foreboding
+thoughts.  The light enabled us to find more fuel, which we agreed it
+would be requisite to husband with care, so as to make it last till
+sunrise.  We had no wish to be again left in darkness.
+
+The light, however, served to show us more clearly the desolation of the
+place.  The walls were bare, and not a particle of furniture had been
+left; for the Indians had carried off from the village everything that
+had escaped the flames.  Above our heads a few charred timbers only
+remained of the roof, beyond which the stars were seen shining from out
+of the dark sky.
+
+"We might have been very much worse off," I observed to Pedro, as we sat
+by the fire eating the provisions which we had brought with us.  After
+supper we lay down in the cleanest spot we could find, and tried to
+recruit our strength by sleep.
+
+I was awoke by Pedro's hand touching my shoulder.  I looked up, at first
+scarcely able to remember where I was.  He had just before thrown some
+chips on the fire, which made it blaze brightly.  I saw that he had his
+fingers on his lips to enforce silence, so I did not speak; but his
+looks showed that something had alarmed him.  I soon discovered the
+cause, from hearing the footsteps of several persons in the
+neighbourhood.  I was about to inquire, in a whisper, who they could be,
+when I observed him glance up at the top of the wall above us.  I turned
+my eyes in the same direction, and then I saw, by the light of the fire,
+the elf-like locks and red-coloured countenance of a wild Indian, who
+was gazing down upon us.  He looked as much surprised to find us there
+as we were to see him.
+
+"Pray, friend, who are you, and what do you seek here?" asked Pedro, in
+the Quichua language.
+
+The stranger made no answer, and presently afterwards a dozen other
+Indians sprung up to the top of the wall.  They were dressed and painted
+as the warriors of a distant tribe, dwelling in the northern part of the
+country.  After looking at us for an instant, they fixed their arrows in
+their bows, and were drawing the strings when Pedro shouted out to
+them:--
+
+"Stay your hands.  We are friends of the Indians, and under the
+protection of the Inca Tupac Amaru."  At the same time he held up a gold
+ring with which Manco had provided him.
+
+The Indians evidently supposed we were Spaniards, and were accordingly
+about to put us to death.  They did not seem inclined to alter their
+purpose, for they drew their arrows to the heads; and I believed that
+our last moments had arrived, when the name of the Inca restrained them.
+
+"We will hear what account you have to give of yourselves," said the man
+who had at first appeared, letting himself down from the top of the
+wall.  He was followed by the rest, and others who had climbed up; and
+we were soon surrounded by a large body of Indians.  I endeavoured to
+look as unconcerned and as little alarmed as possible, so I re-seated
+myself on the block of wood which I had before occupied.  One who seemed
+to have authority over the rest, took a seat opposite to me, while they
+stood round the room Pedro forthwith began to give a history of our
+proceedings, and the cause of our present wanderings.  The chief, after
+some time, appeared satisfied.
+
+"We have vowed to destroy all the white men we meet," he exclaimed; "but
+though your skins are white, your hearts are with the Indians, and we
+will not injure you."
+
+On hearing these words, I breathed more freely; for I had my misgivings
+that the Indians would not believe Pedro, and would torture us before
+they put us to death, as they had lately too often treated their white
+captives.  We soon became on very friendly terms.  The chief told Pedro
+that he and his followers belonged to the very war party which had
+destroyed the village; that they had swept the country for some way
+farther to the north, burning all the houses, and murdering all the
+white inhabitants they encountered; and that now, laden with booty, they
+were returning to their own homes in the far distant interior.  The army
+now lay encamped at a little distance from the village, in a strong
+position, where they could not be surprised by any Spanish force which
+might be near them.  He and his band had, he said, come to the place for
+the purpose of carrying off some of the spoil which they had concealed
+when last there.  They had found it undisturbed, and were consequently
+in a very good humour.
+
+I told Pedro to endeavour to learn from them, whether they had heard of
+any English people being in the village when they attacked it.  Pedro
+put the questions I desired.
+
+"If any English people were there, or other strangers, they shared the
+fate of the rest," answered the chief with a look of fierceness.  I
+shuddered as he spoke.  "It was not a time for us to distinguish people.
+We had years and years of bitter cruelty and wrong to revenge on the
+heads of the Spaniards.  No one escaped.  We came upon them in the
+night, suddenly and without warning.  We surrounded the village, and
+then burst in upon them while they slept in fancied security, despising
+the poor Indians whom they so long had trampled on.  As they rose from
+their beds and attempted to fly, we cut them down at the doors of their
+houses.  We threw burning brands upon the roofs, and closed them in till
+the fire had destroyed them.  We drove them shrieking through the
+streets, and shot them down with our arrows.  Some took refuge in the
+church; but it did not save them.  When the morning broke, not a soul
+remained alive.  But we were not content.  We had begun to taste the
+sweets of vengeance, and we rushed on through the country, burning and
+destroying in our course.  We have still more work to perform.  Our
+swords must not be sheathed till the Inca sits once more on the throne
+of his ancestors, and till not a Spaniard remains alive to boast that
+his people once held sway in the land."
+
+As I watched the countenance of the speaker, it wore an almost terrific
+expression, full of an intense hatred, and a desire for vengeance; yet,
+before the outbreak, he had probably been like most other Indians, a
+mild, peaceable, and patiently suffering man.  The account he had given
+of the destruction of the place almost banished the hope which still
+existed within my breast.  Yet I resolved to persevere in my search.  My
+dismay was very great, when I learned from Pedro that the old chief
+intended to remain in the village with his followers till the morning,
+and then to carry us along with him as prisoners.
+
+"He believes our story," said Pedro; "but still he thinks that if we
+continue our journey, we may give information to the Spaniards of the
+road the army is taking.  He will, I dare say, treat us well, and
+release us when he fancies we can run no chance of injuring his people."
+
+The news caused me great vexation, for, though I had no fear that the
+Indians would injure us, I was afraid that we should be led a long way
+out of the road in which we could hope to make any effectual inquiries,
+if, indeed, further search was of any avail.  I was anxious also to
+examine the country surrounding the place where the body of Ithulpo was
+said to have been discovered; and I told Pedro to entreat the chief,
+before he commenced his march, to allow us to go out for a few hours as
+soon as it was light, promising faithfully to return.  Pedro made the
+request, but the old chief, when he understood the object, said it would
+be useless to grant it.
+
+"Your friends were all killed," he said, "You search for those who are
+not to be found."
+
+"Then we must appeal to the head chief commanding the army," I said to
+Pedro in Spanish.  "Try and learn who he is."
+
+After making inquiries, Pedro told me that he was a powerful _cacique_,
+who had assumed the title of Tupac Catari; and though he was, as most of
+the _caciques_ were, descended from an Inca noble, he was only in a
+remote degree connected with Tupac Amain.  He did not consider himself
+in any way under the orders of the Inca, and was inclined, it appeared,
+to set up as the Inca himself.  It argued ill for the Indian cause, that
+there should be this division in their forces.  From what I heard of
+him, I was afraid that there was very little probability of his granting
+the request which had been denied by his inferior, the old chief.
+
+"If, then, we are to be treated as prisoners, we must endeavour to make
+our escape should any opportunity present itself," I whispered to Pedro,
+whom I had drawn aside.
+
+Not to excite the suspicions of our captors, I pretended to be contented
+with the arrangement, when I found that there was no chance of altering
+the old chief's determination; and returning to the fire, I sat down,
+desiring Pedro to say that I was very tired, and wished to be allowed to
+sleep till daylight.  The Indians apparently finding themselves in
+tolerably comfortable quarters, wrapped their ponchos round them, and
+lay down on the ground round the fire, to follow my example.  I was,
+however, too much excited to sleep, and had lost myself in forgetfulness
+but a very short time when daylight appeared, and the whole party sprung
+to their feet.
+
+Pedro and I were allowed to mount our mules, and accompanied by the
+Indians, who bore the spoils they had collected, set out to join the
+main body, which was already on its march to the northward.  We came in
+sight of them about three miles to the west of the village, as they were
+passing over a wide sandy plain, bordered by a range of thickly wooded
+hills.  There appeared to be about thirty thousand of them,--a body, as
+far as numbers were concerned, fully able to compete with any Spanish
+force which could be sent against them; but they were in a very
+undisciplined and disorganised state, and were, from what I heard, more
+intent on obtaining plunder, and on destroying the defenceless whites,
+than on pushing their first successes with vigour against the common
+enemy.  There were some four or five hundred horsemen among them armed
+with spears; the rest were infantry, who carried slings, and bows, and
+axes, and heavy wooden clubs.  The cavalry guarded the flanks, and the
+footmen marched in separate bodies under their respective chiefs, with
+banners at their head; but there were a great number of stragglers, and,
+as far as my eye could reach, I observed small bodies who appeared to be
+scouring the country in search of plunder or provisions.  The booty was
+distributed among the soldiers, each of whom bore a load on his back,
+consisting of woollen and other goods, household utensils, furniture,
+and clothing of every description.
+
+The chief, Tupac Catari, rode at the head of his forces, surrounded with
+banner-bearers.  He was a fierce, wild-looking Indian, with a forbidding
+expression of countenance; and his dignity was not increased by his
+having dressed himself in the uniform of a Spanish officer, whose cocked
+hat he wore with the points resting on his shoulders.  The lower parts
+of his legs were bare, except that he had sandals on the soles of his
+feet, fastened with leather thongs, and a huge pair of silver spurs to
+his heels.  His wife came behind him in a sort of litter, covered with
+coloured cotton, and supported on men's shoulders.  His followers were
+habited in every variety of costume, which they had picked up in their
+expedition; a few of the better organised bodies only retaining their
+national costume.  Is this, I thought, the sort of character who is to
+aid in the liberation of his native land?
+
+A force like his may, as it has proved, have the power to lay desolate a
+country, and to murder the defenceless inhabitants; but will they be
+able to sustain an attack from disciplined troops, when such are sent
+against them?  The general--for so I may call him--halted when we
+appeared, and made inquiries of the old chief about us.  A long
+conversation then ensued, the result of which was that we were ordered
+to accompany him.  He wanted a secretary, we were told, to write
+despatches to the other chiefs, and to communicate with the Spaniards;
+and he thought that either Pedro or I should be able to answer his
+purpose.  In vain we pleaded the necessity of proceeding as we had
+intended.  He refused to listen to any appeal we could make.
+
+"You may consider yourselves fortunate in not losing your lives," he at
+last answered.  "We have sworn to kill every white man we meet; and you
+have to thank your friend Manco, on account of the love all the Indians
+bear him, that we have not killed you; so be content and say no more."
+
+The old chief who had first taken us prisoners, finding himself thus
+unceremoniously deprived of our company, left us to our fate, and for
+some time we rode on in silence among the general's body-guard.  Every
+man in the army seemed to be talking at the same time.  They were, I
+found, boasting to each other of the deeds of valour they had performed,
+of the enemies they had slain, and of the booty they had collected.  The
+general after some time called us to his side, and asked us if we could
+inform him what the Spaniards were about, and whether they were likely
+to attack the Indian armies.
+
+"Tell him," I said to Pedro, "that the Spaniards will never consent to
+yield up the country to the natives.  They are only waiting to assemble
+their forces, to endeavour to regain the places they have lost.  If they
+have not men enough here, they will send to Spain for more, and for guns
+and artillery, and all the munitions of war.  They will soon appear,
+well armed and disciplined; and a hundred of their troops will be a
+match for a thousand or even two thousand Indians.  The only chance of
+success the Indians have is to be united, to act under one chief, and to
+follow up each advantage, till they have driven the Spaniards from their
+shores."
+
+"Very good," said the general.  "I will be that chief, and will follow
+the advice of the English stranger."
+
+And he drew himself up proudly in his saddle, as if he was about to
+become Inca of Peru.  I saw after this, that any advice I could offer to
+him would be thrown away; besides, I doubted much whether I was
+justified in offering encouragement to the Indians.  I felt that they
+had been most unjustly and cruelly treated, and certainly desired to see
+them obtain their emancipation; but at the same time, I saw that there
+was little or no hope of their ever regaining their country, or
+restoring the ancient dynasty of the Incas; and that the attempt would
+only cause a vast amount of bloodshed, and too probably end in their
+total destruction.  As an Englishman, too.  I regretted that I had no
+business to interfere in a cause which, just as it certainly was, if
+maintained properly, was not my own; and I resolved, therefore, to be
+silent for the future.
+
+The dreadful cruelties committed by the Indians had horrified me; and
+the romance with which I had at first invested their brave attempt at
+emancipation, had vanished on a nearer inspection of the means by which
+they were carrying it out.  I never did and never can believe that the
+end justifies the means.  God's righteous laws must be implicitly
+obeyed; and no reasons which we may offer can excuse us for neglecting
+them.  Yet we may be allowed to believe that he weighs our actions of
+good or evil by the knowledge we possess through the light of His word;
+and acts which, committed by us, might be unpardonable, may, when
+perpetrated by ignorant savages, be overlooked through His mercy in the
+day of judgment.
+
+From the time that the Christian and the civilised Europeans first
+landed in Peru, they treated the ignorant and heathen natives with the
+greatest cruelty; and thus taught by their task-masters, they, on the
+first opportunity, showed that they had not forgotten the lessons they
+had received, but treated them as they themselves had been treated.  Had
+the Spaniards taught the Peruvians mercy, justice, and piety, by their
+own example, this terrible outbreak would never have occurred, and the
+weaker race would have become willing servants to the stronger.  We
+ought always to bear in mind that it is by the just administration of
+good laws, and by the conduct of the rich, the educated, and the
+powerful, that the lower orders are educated, as much, or even more,
+than by the lessons given them by their nominal instructors.
+
+Ministers of religion will preach in vain from the pulpit, and
+schoolmasters will find their efforts useless, unless the upper orders
+set a good example.  I entreat my young friends to recollect that they
+belong to the educated classes, whose behaviour is sure to be imitated
+by those below them.  If their conduct is unchristian, irreligious, or
+immoral, they will not only have their own sins to answer for at the day
+of judgment, but the sins of those whom they by their example have led
+astray.  The dreadful excesses committed by the lower orders during the
+French Revolution were the results of the irreligious and immoral
+conduct and teaching of the upper classes in France.  The Peruvian
+Indians, who were guilty of the terrible atrocities I have mentioned,
+were mostly, in name at least, Christians, and had Christian priests
+ministering to them; but their teaching appears to have had no effect in
+restraining them from acts totally at variance with all the principles
+of Christianity.  How could they, indeed, have faith in a creed
+professed by men who, from the time of their first appearance in their
+country, had not scrupled to murder, to plunder, to ill-treat, and to
+enslave them?
+
+It is worthy of remark, that when the Indians destroyed every other
+human being in the places they attacked, they in many instances saved
+the lives of the priests.  I suspect, however, that they did so, not so
+much that they respected their sacred character, but because in their
+superstition they fancied they were possessed of supernatural powers,
+which might be exercised for their punishment if they ventured to injure
+them.  There were many enlightened and patriotic men among the Indians;
+and from all I heard of Tupac Amaru and his family, they were worthy of
+a happier fate than befell them.  I shall have to describe their
+subsequent history as I proceed in my narrative.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE.
+
+ANOTHER BATTLE--WE ARE CAPTURED BY SPANIARDS.
+
+It must be remembered that the war party whom Pedro and I were now so
+unwillingly compelled to accompany, was but an irregular portion of the
+Indian army, and that the chief commanding it was in every respect
+inferior to Tupac Amaru, and his brave sons Andres and Mariano, or his
+brother Diogo.  I mention this, because otherwise I might give my reader
+a very unjust and incorrect history of the principal men engaged in the
+attempt I am describing to regain the long-lost liberties of the
+Peruvian nation.
+
+The forces of Tupac Catari had crossed the sandy plain, and ascended the
+woody height I have mentioned, when we reached a rocky defile, through
+which lay the road we were to pursue.  Instead of sending on an advanced
+guard to feel the way, as a more experienced general would have done,
+the chief rode carelessly on at the head of his followers.  Pedro and I
+were allowed to keep together, and to converse in Spanish; for I suppose
+that Catari thought that we should not dream of attempting to escape
+from among his numerous army.  He was wrong, however; for the idea of
+doing so was never absent from my mind.
+
+"Pedro," said I, "you have been so true and faithful, and have shown so
+much regard for me, that I know you would not willingly desert me, and
+yet I do not like to lead you into danger unnecessarily; but tell me, do
+you think we could manage to get away from these people?"
+
+"O Senor, do not suppose I would hesitate a moment to serve you on
+account of the danger," he answered, in a tone of much feeling.  "What
+have I, without kindred or friends, to live for, that I should be afraid
+of risking my life?  Yet at present I do not see what chance we have of
+escaping; though an opportunity may occur when we least expect it."
+
+"Thanks, Pedro, thanks, my friend," I replied.  "I was certain that you
+would be ready to aid me; and I hope some day to show my gratitude to
+you, little as I am now able to do so.  But do not say that you have no
+friends.  Surely Manco is your friend, and the Indians among whom you
+have lived, and the good priest who educated you."
+
+"The good priest is dead.  Manco is my friend, and so are the kind
+Indians; but I am the child of another race, and though I love the
+Indians, my heart yearns for the sympathy and affection of the people
+from whom I am sprung.  When I was a child I cared not for it; but since
+I learned to read the history of my father's country, and more than all,
+since I met you, Senor, new feelings and aspirations have sprung up
+within my bosom.  I cannot be content unless I am in the company of
+those who can converse, like you, on things beyond the narrow circle of
+the life I have hitherto led."
+
+"I understand you, Pedro; and I think that I should feel as you do," I
+said.  "If we can make our escape, you shall accompany me to other
+lands--we will go forth together to see the great world which lies
+beyond these lofty mountains."
+
+"O Senor, your words have given me a new life," he exclaimed
+enthusiastically.  "I will follow you anywhere you may lead, and serve
+you faithfully.  And yet," he added in a tone of feeling, "I must not
+leave the generous Manco without again seeing him; I must bid farewell
+to my foster father and mother, and the Indians who protected me in my
+youth; I must return to them once more before I go."
+
+"I would on no account induce you to be ungrateful, and I should myself
+be very unwilling to leave the country, even should I discover my
+family, without returning to bid farewell to Manco," I said in return.
+
+"Then we will go back to Manco as soon as we can escape from these
+people; and we may thus with more speed be able to begin our travels,"
+exclaimed Pedro.
+
+We were both very young, and ignorant of the great world we talked of
+exploring; and we little knew all the difficulties we might be destined
+to encounter.  The subject, once commenced, was a continual source of
+interest to us, and we were never tired of talking about it.  It served
+also to prevent my mind from dwelling on my loss, the probability of
+which I could scarcely conceal from myself.
+
+I have mentioned but a few of Pedro's observations, for the sake of
+showing his character.  He had benefited to the utmost from the little
+education which had been given him by the priest of whom he spoke.  His
+disposition was ardent and romantic, and full of generous sympathies;
+and possessing a clear perception of right and wrong, he was always
+anxious to do right.  He had been made acquainted at an early age with
+his own history; and though he loved the Indians, he was proud of
+belonging to a superior race, among whom his great desire was to mix as
+an equal.  He was tall and well formed, with very handsome features, to
+which his amiable disposition had given a most pleasing expression; so
+that, whether or not his parents were of good birth, he looked, at all
+events, in every respect the gentleman.
+
+In early youth, when people are thrown together under difficult
+circumstances, friendships calculated to endure to the end of life are
+quickly formed; and thus, during the short time we had been together, we
+had become mutually much attached; indeed, I fancied that no one could
+have been many days in the society of Pedro without feeling a sincere
+regard for him.
+
+So much were we absorbed in conversation, that we scarcely noticed how
+the time flew by.  The leading parties of the Indians had now passed
+through a considerable portion of the defile, and the rear were about to
+enter it when we reached a spot more difficult and narrow than any we
+had yet arrived at.
+
+"If any of the Spanish troops were on the watch to intercept the Indian
+forces, this is the very spot they should select," I observed to Pedro.
+
+"May the saints forbid!" he answered.  "The poor people would be cut to
+pieces, and we should suffer with them."
+
+"I certainly do not wish it," I said; "though I think we might manage to
+escape in the confusion; but I thought of it, as it was exactly in such
+a spot as this that some months ago we were attacked by the Montoneros,
+when we were rescued by Manco and his followers."
+
+"Oh, the Spaniards are too much disheartened and terrified by their late
+disasters to think of attacking the Indians," said Pedro.
+
+"But suppose they were to attack our captors, do not you think that we
+could manage to climb up the cliffs, and hide ourselves among the rocks
+till the fighting is over?"  I asked, without at all expecting that such
+a thing was likely to happen.
+
+I had scarcely made the observation, when our ears were assailed by the
+loud rattle of musketry, and a shower of bullets flew about our heads,
+killing and wounding many of the Indians near us.  In an instant they
+were thrown into the most terrible confusion, and the shouts and cries
+of fear rent the air.  Catari, and some of the chiefs about him, in vain
+endeavoured to lead them on to meet their concealed enemies.  So
+completely were they taken by surprise, that all their courage deserted
+them.  They gave way to their first impulse, which was to fly from the
+danger.  The rear ranks turned, and the rest followed, and fled as fast
+as they could, with the intention of getting into the more open country
+they had left.  The Spaniards, a strong body of whose troops had been
+lying in ambush, on this showed themselves, and, with their swords in
+their hands, rushed down upon the confused bands of the Indians.
+Catari, and those immediately about him, fought bravely, for they had
+not a hope of escaping.  His people threw themselves before him, and
+allowed the Spaniards to cut them to pieces in their attempt to preserve
+the life of their chief.  Pedro and I were fortunately at the time a
+little in the rear of the advanced guard; and we had escaped the bullets
+which had laid low many of those near us.  The Indians, however, were so
+completely blocking up the narrow defile in their eagerness to escape,
+that we saw it would be impossible to fly in that direction.  Our only
+chance of saving our lives was to put in execution the plan I had just
+before been proposing.
+
+"Let us throw ourselves from our mules, and try to climb up the cliffs,"
+I exclaimed to Pedro.
+
+Just then a bullet struck Catari.  I saw him reel in his saddle, when
+one of his companions seized his horse's bridle, and attempted to lead
+him out of the fray towards the rear.  But he was mortally wounded; and
+before he could be got from among the combatants, he fell to the ground.
+His death was the signal for the rest to fly; but they attempted to do
+so in vain.  The Spanish soldiers pressed in upon them, and cutting them
+down without mercy, forced them back in confusion.  A few of the
+Indians, driven to despair, still fought fiercely, and for a time
+impeded their progress, thus leaving a clear space near where Pedro and
+I stood.
+
+"Now, now!"  I exclaimed to Pedro.  "We have not a moment to lose.  If
+the Spaniards reach us before we have time for explanation, they will
+kill us.  Jump from your mule and follow me."
+
+I had observed that on one side the cliff was considerably broken, and
+that a number of jutting rocks would enable us to climb up to the
+summit, and afford us some sort of shelter in the meantime.  I threw
+myself out of my saddle as I spoke, and Pedro following my example, we
+ran as fast as we could towards the rocks.  It was the work of a moment
+to spring up them; there was an abundance of shrubs and creeping plants
+to help us.  By laying hold of them, we drew ourselves from rock to
+rock.  Our lives we felt depended on our activity; and under ordinary
+circumstances I do not think we could have accomplished the task.  We
+had thus climbed up some forty feet or so in a shorter time than I have
+taken to describe it, when we reached a platform, above which, as we
+looked upwards, it seemed impossible that we could ascend.  There was,
+however, the branch of a tree, which grew in a cleft of the rock.
+
+"Take me on your shoulders, and I think I can reach it," I cried to
+Pedro.
+
+He stooped down, and, as I sprung on his shoulders, he lifted me up till
+I caught hold of the branch.  I drew myself up, and succeeded in
+throwing my body over the bough.  I then, holding on tight with one
+hand, gave him the other, and lifted him up till he could catch hold of
+it also.  The branch cracked and bent with our united weight; but we
+were anxious enough had it not done so, for we were now fully exposed to
+the sight of the combatants below.  They were, however, too much engaged
+to observe us.  When Pedro no longer required my assistance, I lifted
+myself till I could reach the branch of another tree still higher up,
+and from thence sprung on to the rock we wished to gain.  Pedro kept
+close behind me, and imitating my example, we in a short time found
+ourselves behind a rock overshadowed by trees, where, from among the
+branches which hung down close to it, we could command a view of the
+greater part of the ravine without being seen, though we were not high
+enough to escape any stray shots fired in our direction.
+
+By the time we got there, the last of the Indians who had stood their
+ground, were either killed or wounded; and the Spanish troops swept
+along the defile like a mountain torrent, overthrowing all they
+encountered in their course.  Their shouts of triumph, and the shrieks
+of the Indians, reached our ears with terrible distinctness where we
+stood.  During our ascent we had heard nothing; even the rattle of the
+musketry was unheeded.  Now and then the Spaniards halted to load, and
+they again sent forth a volley, which in that narrow space took terrible
+effect; and once more they advanced to the charge.  The Indians did not
+once attempt to rally, but fled like a flock of sheep chased by dogs;
+those in the rear falling the first victims, and the conquerors passing
+over their prostrate bodies.  The rout was most complete; and over the
+distance which we could see from where we stood, it appeared that many
+thousands had been killed.  Every foot of the ground was covered with
+them, and the conquerors had literally to wade through their blood as
+they rushed to the work of destruction.  It was a dreadful sight; but
+still we could not withdraw our eyes from it.  We were considering what
+we should next do; and in order to obtain a better view of the country
+beyond the defile, to judge whether we should proceed in that direction,
+I climbed up to a higher part of the rock, supposing that all the
+Spaniards had passed by; when, to my dismay, I saw some fifty men or so
+drawn up across the road.  They were posted there evidently to guard the
+entrance of the defile, and to prevent their companions from being
+attacked in the rear by any fresh body of Indians.  Though I was only
+exposed for a moment, they saw me; and as I jumped down several shots
+rattled against the rock.  Their voices shouting to us, and ordering us
+to come to them, warned us that we could hope no longer to remain
+concealed.  We, however, were in a very secure position; and we judged,
+from the difficulty we had in getting there, that they were not at all
+likely to be able to climb up to us.
+
+"What is to be done now, Pedro?"  I asked.  "Do you think we could
+manage to scramble up among the trees, and so escape over the top of the
+cliffs?"
+
+"Perhaps we might," he answered, looking up to examine the trees above
+us.  "But what should we do when we got there?  We should be without our
+mules or provisions or arms, and a long way from any habitation where we
+might obtain shelter.  We should also very likely fall into the power of
+some of the broken parties of Catari's army, dispersed by the Spaniards;
+and they, enraged by the disaster which has befallen them, would, seeing
+that we were whites, kill us without asking us any questions."
+
+Pedro's arguments were very strong; but still I thought we should be
+only falling from the frying-pan into the fire, if we put ourselves into
+the power of the Spaniards.  While we were still discussing what we
+should do, we heard them again calling to us.
+
+"Come down, you Indian thieves, come down and be shot, or we must climb
+up after you," they shouted.
+
+"More easily said than done," observed Pedro; "but do not let us show
+ourselves, or they are very likely to shoot us without further
+questioning.  If we could make them hear us from where we are, we might
+tell them that we are whites, who had been taken prisoners by the
+Indians."
+
+"Stay then," said I, going to the side of the rock nearest to where the
+Spaniards stood, keeping my body carefully sheltered behind it, I put my
+head among the leaves, so that they could not see me, and shouted out--
+
+"We are friends! we are friends!--whites, escaped from the Indians.  We
+were afraid you would mistake us for enemies, so we hid ourselves."
+
+"If that is the case," said an officer, stepping forward, "come down, we
+will not hurt you."
+
+"What shall we do?" said I to Pedro.  "We are safe where we are for the
+present, for their bullets cannot reach us; and I am certain no Spanish
+soldier will be able to climb up in the way we did to this spot."
+
+"We shall get very hungry though, if they try to starve us out," he
+answered; "besides, it will look as if we were guilty of some crime if
+we appear afraid of coming down."
+
+"There is no help for it, I see," was my reply.  "We must put a good
+face upon the matter.  Senor officer," I shouted, "your men have already
+shown that they can aim very correctly, and we would rather not run the
+risk of another peppering; may I beg that you will take care that they
+do not fire at us by mistake.  If we have your word for it, we will
+descend, as you desire."
+
+"I pledge you the word of a Castilian that they shall not fire at you,"
+answered the officer.
+
+"That satisfies us; we will descend," I shouted back.  "Come, Pedro, we
+must take care not to break our necks though, which we shall do if we
+slip," I said, as I swung myself on to a bough of the nearest tree below
+the rock.
+
+It is nearly always more difficult to descend a cliff than to climb up;
+as in the former case one cannot see where one's feet are to rest; and
+one may chance to find one's self on a jutting ledge, from whence the
+height is too great to leap off to the next standing-place below, and
+one has to climb up again to search for another way down.  We had the
+advantage of knowing the rocks on which we were to rest; yet our descent
+took much more time than had our ascent.  At one place Pedro had to hold
+fast by a tree while he let me down; and I, in return, had to grasp
+firmly a jutting rock, and to catch him as he dropped down to me.  At
+length, with no slight exertion and risk, we reached the bottom, where
+we found the Spanish officer and several of his men, who had been
+watching us with some admiration, and wondering, as they told us, how we
+had contrived not to break our necks.  They would scarcely believe that
+we had got up by the same way.
+
+"I thought none but monkeys could climb such a place," observed the
+officer.
+
+"We English have a way of doing extraordinary things when we try," I
+replied, trying to look as unconcerned as possible.
+
+"English, are you indeed?  I thought you must be so."
+
+"Yes, Senor, I am an Englishman at your service," I said; for I had
+agreed with Pedro that it would be better to give a correct account of
+ourselves, than to attempt any deception.
+
+There is an old saying--"Tell the truth and shame the devil."  Now,
+although there can be no doubt that there are occasions when concealment
+is excusable, yet these are very rare exceptions, which occur but seldom
+in most men's lives; and as a general rule a strict adherence to the
+truth is the only just and safe course, even though it may apparently
+lead one into a difficulty.  There is something degrading in a falsehood
+or prevarication, which must injure the self-respect of a man of proper
+feeling.  It is a sin!  There is no disguising it.  People often tell
+falsehoods to conceal what they have done wrong, but that does not make
+the sin less; it is only adding one sin to another.  I say--and I know
+that am right--Tell truth, and stand the consequences.
+
+I therefore told the officer my true history.  How my father's house had
+been taken possession of by the Spanish troops; how the Indians had
+attacked and burned it; and how they had carried me off desperately
+wounded.  Then I described how I had been nursed by an Indian and his
+wife among the mountains till I had recovered, when the dreadful report
+reached me of the destruction of my family; and how the Indian had
+allowed me to set out for the purpose of discovering what had really
+been their fate, when, in the course of my search, we had been captured
+by Catari and his followers.  The officer seemed much interested by the
+account I gave him, and to feel real compassion for my loss.
+
+"And the youth with you, who is he?" he asked.
+
+I told him, a Spaniard, who in his childhood had been carried off by the
+Indians, and educated by the good priest of their village.
+
+"It is a very strange story you tell me," he remarked.  "However, I
+believe you, for your face assures me that you speak the truth.  You
+both must now accompany me to the place where I am ordered to wait with
+my men for the return of the rest of the troops.  I hear the bugles
+sounding the recall, and they probably have by this time completely
+dispersed all the Indians who remained together; but their orders were
+not to venture beyond the defile, lest the brigands should reassemble
+and cut them off.  We must march at once, for the colonel commanding our
+force will soon be there."
+
+I was very well satisfied with his manner of speaking, and felt certain
+that we should be kindly treated.  Fortunately for us, our mules had
+managed to get out of the way of the troops as they passed by.  With
+much sagacity they had, when we jumped off their backs, crept into a
+wide crevice in the cliffs, and we found them close to the spot feeding
+on the leaves of some shrubs which grew among the rocks.  On our
+claiming them as our property, the officer allowed us to mount them; and
+he invited us to ride by his side at the head of his men.  His questions
+were sometimes very puzzling, for I resolved not to give him any
+information which might prove injurious to the Indians.  I could not,
+however, deny that I had seen a large Indian force collected very
+different to that of Catari; and I warned him, that should the Spaniards
+ever meet it, they would find a victory far more difficult than the one
+they had just achieved.
+
+"Do you think you could lead us to the place where this army you speak
+of is encamped?" he asked suddenly, after a considerable silence.
+
+"Senor," I replied, with a look of indignation, "has anything I have
+said induced you to believe that I could be capable of so dishonourable
+and ungrateful an action!  The Indians treated me with mercy and
+kindness.  Is such the return you would expect an honest man to make?"
+
+He shrugged his shoulders.  "Why, no," he replied; "to confess the
+truth, I should not expect you to do so willingly, and I would myself
+rather not be asked to do such a thing; but I am sorry to tell you that
+there are others, my superiors, who are not so likely to pay respect to
+your scruples; and I am afraid that they will insist on your acting as
+our guide if it is thought expedient to march against the new made
+Inca."
+
+"But surely I have the power to refuse to do any such thing," I
+exclaimed indignantly.
+
+"But you might be compelled to do it," he urged.  "It would be dangerous
+for you to refuse.  Our generals are not in a mood to be trifled with."
+
+"I trust that no power could compel me to act so treacherous a part," I
+replied calmly.  "You, Senor, I am sure, would not so advise me."
+
+He seemed to be a man imbued with the old chivalrous spirit of the
+Castilians; and my appeal to his honourable sentiments pleased him.
+
+"You are a brave youth, and I will do my best to serve you," he replied.
+"I am in duty bound to tell my colonel what I know, but you can assure
+him that you could not find your way back, which I think you probably
+would not be able to do."
+
+This conversation caused me much anxiety, though I resolved at all
+hazards not to betray my friends.  I could not also but regret that I
+had been so incautious as to have allowed myself to confess that I had
+seen the army of the Inca.  I should have been more on my guard; and,
+without departing from the truth, I might have declined answering any
+questions which could draw the information from me.  The frankness and
+kind manner of the officer threw me off it, however; and I found myself
+placed in a position I had not at all contemplated.  I received a lesson
+which I hope may be useful to any of my readers who may be placed in
+similar circumstances.  The officer, whose name I found was Don Eduardo
+da Vila, and a captain of the regiment with which he was serving, was
+only doing his duty in cross-questioning me; and I believe that he was
+very sorry that the information he had obtained was likely to prove
+injurious to me.
+
+We soon reached the spot he had spoken of, where we were to wait for his
+colonel.  It was a rocky height with precipitous sides, of which a
+portion of only one was accessible, so that it was a complete natural
+fortress.  It commanded the entrance to the ravine; and had the Indians
+possessed any knowledge of warfare, they would have taken another route,
+however circuitous, rather than have attempted to pass so formidable a
+position without first ascertaining that it was not occupied by an
+enemy.  It was nearly dusk, and the chief body of the Spanish troops had
+not yet returned from their work of bloodshed.  Don Eduardo began to be
+uneasy.
+
+"Can the rebels have rallied and attacked them?"  I heard him say to one
+of his inferiors.  "I thought I heard the bugles sounding as we left the
+ravine."
+
+"There can be no doubt about it.  If they had been attacked, the sound
+of the firing would have reached us," was the answer.
+
+"They have probably pursued the enemy further than they intended," said
+Don Eduardo, walking a short distance off from where we stood.  He was
+evidently becoming anxious on the subject.
+
+"What do you think about it?"  I asked Pedro, who had overheard what had
+been said.
+
+"It is possible that the Indians may have rallied and cut off the
+Spaniards," he answered.  "Yet I do not think that they will have had
+the courage to do so.  At first I was almost hoping it, as I thought we
+might have a better chance of escaping, but then I remembered that
+though many of the Indians might have been my friends, the Spaniards are
+my countrymen.  I trust no disaster has befallen them."
+
+Don Eduardo and his lieutenant returned after the consultation; and the
+latter, with a sergeant's party, was ordered to proceed along the
+ravine, to ascertain what had become of the main body.  We watched the
+lieutenant and his men enter the ravine and advance, till they were hid
+by a turn of the cliffs.  Don Eduardo then called us to him, and asked
+us our opinion as to what was likely to have occurred.  We both assured
+him that we did not think the Indians would have rallied.  What we said
+appeared somewhat to relieve his mind, and sitting down on a rock, he
+lighted a cigar, and offered some to us, which we declined, as neither
+Pedro nor I smoked.  The men meantime had piled their arms, and lighted
+fires to boil their cocoa and to cook their provisions.  Some were thus
+employed, others were smoking, and others had thrown themselves on the
+ground to rest after the fatigues of the day.  We learned that they had
+received notice of the march of Catari's army from an Indian spy, many
+of whom were in the pay of the Spaniards.  They had watched for them for
+several days, and at last the colonel commanding the force had resolved
+to occupy the post where he attacked them, till they should attempt to
+pass.  The view around the spot we occupied was very picturesque.  It
+was also a very strong natural position, while its picturesqueness was
+increased by the horses and baggage mules picqueted under the trees, the
+gay costumes of their drivers, the camp-fires, the piles of arms, and
+the groups of soldiers, in varied attitudes, scattered here and there.
+
+The sun had set and the short twilight had come to an end, when the
+tramp of men's feet at a distance reached our ears.  We listened
+anxiously.  It was that of trained soldiers; and in a short time we saw
+them looming through the gloom of the evening.  As they drew near, the
+advanced guard uttered a shout to warn us of their approach, which was
+responded to by the party on the hill.  Soon afterwards they appeared on
+the summit, and as they marched into the centre of the space, they piled
+their arms, and joined their comrades round the fires.  Each man came
+laden with the spoils they had retaken from the Indians.
+
+After a portion of the troops had filed by, there came, with two
+soldiers guarding each of them, some fifty Indians who had been taken
+prisoners, and preserved to grace their triumph.  Poor wretches, we
+found that though their lives were for the present spared, their fate
+was sealed, and that it was intended by a public execution to strike
+terror into the hearts of their countrymen.  Those who could not move
+fast enough were dragged forward by ropes fastened to their wrists, or
+urged on at the point of the sword.  When they halted, they were all
+huddled together like sheep in a pen, and a strong guard placed over
+them to prevent their escape.  From the words we overheard, the soldiers
+appeared to be recounting eagerly, to those who had been left as a
+reserve, the adventures of the day.  Pedro and I were shortly summoned
+by Don Eduardo to attend the colonel; but fortunately he was too tired
+and hungry to interrogate us closely, and after a few questions he
+dismissed us, with permission to join several of his officers round
+their watch-fires.
+
+We were surprised at seeing only three or four wounded men; and we
+learned that, with the exception of one killed, they were the only
+sufferers among the troops.  They were in high spirits, as this was the
+first success the Spanish forces had met with since the commencement of
+the outbreak.  They boasted that they had killed several thousands of
+the Indians, though their own loss had been so small.  They had followed
+them beyond the defile, where the remainder, entirely broken and
+dispersed, had saved themselves in the recesses of the forest.  The
+officers civilly invited us to partake of their supper, Don Eduardo
+having recommended us to their notice; and afterwards, the picquets
+having been placed, we all wrapped ourselves in our cloaks and lay down
+to sleep.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
+
+A BATTLEFIELD AT NIGHT--OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON.
+
+I am not fond of dwelling on horrors; but I should fail to give a true
+picture of warfare and its effects, were I to neglect to describe those
+scenes which are its never-failing accompaniments.  I tried to sleep;
+but at first the blaze of the fire, the voices of those around me, and
+the din of the camp, kept me awake; and when that had ceased, all the
+soldiers except the sentries, and even the Indian prisoners, having
+dropped off asleep, there came up from the depths of the mountain gorge
+a sound which, as I suspected its cause, effectually banished repose.
+Though rendered faint by distance, it came through the quiet night air
+with a distinctness which was truly terrible.  I listened with painful
+attention.  There were the shrieks and groans of human beings in their
+mortal agony, and the suppressed roar and hissing snarl of the fierce
+puma and the sanguinary ounce, as they disputed over their prey.  Many
+Indians, I guessed too surely, had crawled, desperately wounded, into
+the crevices of the rocks, where they lay concealed as the Spanish
+troops passed by, and escaped instant death to suffer a lingering and
+more terrible fate at the last.  All night long those melancholy sounds
+continued, and though they might have been heard by my companions, they
+did not appear to disturb their repose.  I scarcely knew whether to envy
+or commiserate their apathy.
+
+The night at last passed away.  The soldiers started to their feet at
+the sound of the bugle's call, a hasty meal was taken, baggage mules
+were laden, the men fell into their ranks, and the order to march was
+given.  Pedro and I mounted our faithful little beasts, and rode by the
+side of Don Eduardo, who, after he had got the troops into order, called
+us to him.
+
+We descended the side of the hill, and took a direction towards the
+west, very much to my satisfaction, for I was afraid that we should have
+again to pass through the gorge; and my heart sickened at the thought of
+the sad spectacle we should there have to witness.  There was no road,
+and the ground was very uneven; but the men and animals seemed
+accustomed to it, and managed to scramble along at the rate of about two
+miles-an-hour.  We marched for about five hours, when we reached the
+bank of a river, where a halt was called, and the men were ordered to
+pile arms and cook their dinners, scouts being sent out to give notice
+of the approach of any Indians.  The river ran through a broad valley,
+having on either side high cliffs, and below them grassy land sprinkled
+with trees.  On the top of the cliffs was a wide belt of forest, beyond
+which, stretched out to the south, a vast extent of sandy desert.  As we
+passed over it, I observed the remains of numerous small canals, which
+Pedro informed me served in the days of the Incas to irrigate it, when
+what was now a barren plain was covered with fertile fields.
+
+The spot where we had approached the river was at the mouth of a narrow
+stream, which wound its way down from the mountains, its course marked
+by a line of trees, which it served to nourish.  While the troops were
+resting, the colonel summoned Pedro and me into his presence, to make
+more inquiries about us.  I mentioned that he was a very different sort
+of person to Don Eduardo.  He was a stern, morose man, none of the
+kindlier sympathies of human nature finding a place in his bosom.  He
+was sitting on a rock, under the shade of a tree, with his secretary,
+with paper and a pen in his hand, kneeling by his side, and making a
+table of the rock, ready to take notes of what we might say.  He
+questioned us narrowly, and all we said was put down.  I gave him the
+same account that I had to Don Eduardo.
+
+"And so you have been living among the Indians, and encouraging them in
+their rebellion against their rightful sovereign, I doubt not," he
+observed, fixing his piercing eyes on us.  "Young man, your name is not
+unfamiliar to me."
+
+I felt no little alarm on hearing these words, which was increased when
+he desired his secretary to turn to some notes he had in his portfolio.
+
+"I thought so," he exclaimed.  "You are the son of an Englishman who is
+accused of conspiring with the Indians to overthrow the government of
+the country.  Your father has met with his deserts, for I see that he
+and all his family were murdered by the wretched people he had
+encouraged to revolt; but you, let me assure you, will not escape the
+punishment which is your due.  You have been treated with too much
+leniency by us; you and your companion are now prisoners.  Guard lead
+them off, and take care that they do not escape."
+
+The information so brutally given me, confirmatory of my worst fears,
+almost overcame me, and I believe that I should have sunk to the ground,
+had not the soldiers who were ordered to take charge of us supported me
+as they led me away.  I was far too much absorbed by the dreadful news,
+the truth of which I could not doubt, to be able to contemplate the very
+dangerous position in which I was placed.  I did not attempt to answer
+the colonel, nor to exculpate myself; indeed, any appeal to him would
+have been of no avail.  Pedro and I were marched off, and placed by
+ourselves under the shade of a rock, where several men were stationed as
+sentries over us.  The officers with whom we had before been associating
+on friendly terms seemed to regard us with looks of pity, but they dared
+not speak to us.  When the troops again marched we were guarded by two
+soldiers, who rode by our sides with drawn swords, while we were not
+allowed to address each other.  The time occupied by that journey was
+the most miserable portion of my life.  Hope had almost deserted me.
+All those I loved best on earth were gone; and at the end of it I had
+nothing to expect but a long imprisonment in a loathsome dungeon, or
+perhaps death.  The next evening, when the soldiers halted to bivouac
+for the night, as Pedro and I were sitting disconsolately on the ground
+at a short distance from each other, with our guards between us, I saw
+Don Eduardo approaching.  He told the soldiers to withdraw, and sat down
+by my side.  I saw by his manner that he had undertaken a task which was
+not altogether to his taste.
+
+"I have got permission from the colonel to speak to you," he began.  "He
+considers himself authorised not to act very rigorously with you if you
+will accede to his proposals."
+
+"What are they, Don Eduardo?"  I asked, at once guessing their tenor.
+
+"Why, he understands you have seen the army of the rebel chief, Tupac
+Amaru, and are acquainted with their intentions," he answered.
+
+"I own that I have seen large numbers of Indians collected together, but
+I am entirely ignorant of what they were about to do," I said.  "But
+pray go on, Don Eduardo."
+
+"The proposal is similar to what I made you when we first met," he
+replied, the colour rising to his cheeks.  "If you can conduct a Spanish
+force to where they are to be found, or can contrive to put some of
+their chiefs into our power, you and your friend shall forthwith be set
+at liberty."
+
+"You, I am sure, Don Eduardo, can expect but one reply from me to such a
+question, and you know that it is the only one which, while I remain an
+honourable man, I can give."
+
+"I am afraid so," he answered, looking down much grieved.  "I am to add,
+that if you refuse, as soon as we arrive at the town of San Pablo, you
+will be tried and shot as a rebel."
+
+"Before I have been found guilty?"  I asked.
+
+"I fear your guilt in our eyes has been too well established by your own
+confession," he observed.  "Let me advise you to think over the subject
+well.  It is hard for a youth like you to die."
+
+"Tell me, Don Eduardo, do you believe me guilty?"  I asked.
+
+"You have been in communication with the Indians and you wish them
+well," he said, avoiding an answer to my question.
+
+"I wish the Spaniards well, and have never instigated the Indians to
+rebel by word or deed," said I.  "But you have not told me if you think
+me guilty."
+
+"I do not.  From what I have seen of you I think you incapable of doing
+so wrong a thing," he replied, kindly taking my hand.  "I wish to save
+your life."
+
+"I warmly thank you for what you say, Don Eduardo," I exclaimed; "but I
+cannot do what is proposed.  If I am not guilty it will be more easy to
+die; but I trust that, as an Englishman, the government will not venture
+to put me to death unless my guilt is clearly proved."
+
+"In these times no respect is paid to persons," he said.  "You must not
+trust to such a hope; yet I would take a more satisfactory answer back
+to my colonel."
+
+"I can send no other answer than what I have given," I replied; "you
+would from your heart despise me if I did."
+
+At this he looked very melancholy.  "Well, I fear it must be so, yet I
+will do all I can for you," he said, as again pressing my hand in token
+of his good-will, he rose to leave me.
+
+Having ordered the sentries to return to their posts, he went to where
+my companion in misfortune was sitting.  He conversed with him for some
+time; and though I had great confidence in Pedro, I was afraid that he
+might ultimately be tempted or threatened into compliance with the
+colonel's demands.  I wronged him; for I afterwards learned that he
+remained firm to his honour.  The night passed away without any
+adventure; and wearied out by bodily fatigue and mental anxiety, though
+the hard ground was my couch, I slept till daylight.  My conscience was,
+at all events, clear of wrong, and I never recollect to have slept so
+soundly.  I awoke more refreshed than I had been for some time, and with
+a lighter heart in my bosom.  Even hope revived, though I had little
+enough to ground it on.  The air was pure and bracing, my nerves felt
+well strung, and the face of nature itself wore to my eyes a more
+cheerful aspect than it had done for many days.  The troops advanced
+more rapidly than they had before done, and towards evening the spires
+of several churches rising from the plain, the rays of the sun lighting
+them brilliantly up, came in sight.  They were in the town of San Pablo,
+the houses in which soon after appeared.  As we approached, a number of
+the Spanish inhabitants came out to hear the news, and seemed highly
+gratified at the result of the expedition.  The unfortunate Indians who
+were brought in as prisoners, chiefly attracted their attention; and I
+was shocked to hear the abuse they heaped on them.  The miserable beings
+walked on with sullen and downcast looks, without deigning to reply.
+They had no hope--they had lost the day, and they knew the fate which
+awaited them.
+
+As we marched through the unpaved, dirty streets, the inhabitants came
+out of their houses to look at us, and to offer the troops refreshments
+and congratulations.  We found the town full of people of all colours,
+of whom a large number were Indians who had refused to join the revolt.
+
+In the centre of the town was the usual large plaza or square; and on
+one side of it was a building which we were told was the prison.
+Towards it we were at once conducted.  One side of the square was
+without buildings, a broad stream running past it, beyond which were
+cultivated fields, and gardens divided by walls.  In the centre was a
+fountain, continually throwing up a jet of crystal water--a refreshing
+sight in that climate.  The prison fronted the river.  On one side was a
+church, and on the other the residence of the governor of the town, or
+of some other civil functionary.  On either side of the buildings I have
+mentioned, were long rows of houses of various heights, though mostly of
+one story, very similar to those I have already described.  Three
+streets, running at right angles to each other, led into the square.  I
+have not without reason been thus particular in my description.
+
+The soldiers who had us in charge, led us across the square, amid the
+shouts and jeers of the people.  Even the blacks, the half-castes, and
+the Indians, came to stare at us with stupid wonder, calling us rebels,
+traitors, and robbers.  The unfortunate Indians who had been made
+prisoners, went before us.  The massive gates of the prison were thrown
+open, and they were forced within.  We came last.
+
+My heart sunk within me as we entered those gloomy walls.  The interior
+was already crowded with human beings, many of them Indians, found with
+arms in their hands, or suspected of an intention of joining the rebels.
+We advanced along a low, arched gallery, intersected by several gates;
+and having passed two of them, we turned to the left, along a narrower
+passage, at the end of which we reached a small door.  The gaoler, who
+showed the way with a torch, opened it; and, to my dismay, I saw that a
+steep flight of steps led down from it to some chambers below the
+ground.
+
+"We are to be shut up in a dungeon, I fear," I whispered to Pedro.
+
+"So that I am with you, I care not where I am," he answered.
+
+Four of the soldiers followed us, to prevent our running away, I
+suppose; though we should have had but a poor chance of escaping even
+had we tried.  The rest faced about, and marched back through the
+passage.  I hesitated on the top of the steps, so narrow and broken and
+dark did they look.
+
+"Come along, Senores, come along!" said the gaoler; "but take care how
+you tread, for the steps are somewhat worn, and you may chance to break
+your necks some days before their time."
+
+Though inclined to make merry at our expense, he held his torch so as to
+afford sufficient light for us to see our way.  The soldiers laughed
+gruffly at his joke, bad as it was; and this made him attempt one or two
+others of a similar character.
+
+"The gentlemen have not perhaps been accustomed to live in a palace, but
+they will find one here, with plenty of servants to attend on them; so I
+must beg to congratulate them," he said, chuckling as he spoke.  "They
+will have plenty of playmates, though some of them will not remain very
+long, I suspect.  They have a way here of making a speedy clearance at
+times."
+
+We had now reached the bottom of the steps, and another small door,
+plated with iron and secured with two stout iron bars, appeared before
+us.  The gaoler removed the bars, and taking a key from his girdle,
+opened the door.
+
+"Go in there, Senores," he said.  "It is somewhat dark at present, but
+you will get accustomed to it by-and-by."
+
+Saying this, he forced us into the dungeon.  I went in first, and
+stumbled down a couple of steps, nearly falling on my face.  While I was
+holding out my hand to save Pedro from doing the same, the door was shut
+behind us, and barred and bolted as before.  We found ourselves in
+almost total darkness, a small aperture near the ceiling alone affording
+a dim gleam of light, which served to show us the gloomy horrors of the
+place.  Two massive pillars supported the low arched roof, which seemed
+covered with moisture.  The size of the place we could not tell, as the
+darkness prevented our seeing the walls at either side.  The floor was
+unpaved, and composed of damp earth strewed with filth.  We stood for
+some minutes holding each other's hands, without speaking, and without
+moving.  We felt bewildered and stupified with the calamity which had
+befallen us.  Pedro was the first to recover himself.
+
+"They cannot keep us here for ever," he said, breaking the long silence.
+"Others have been in worse places, and have escaped.  Let us hope,
+Senor, for the best."  He spoke in a cheerful tone, which had a reviving
+effect upon me.
+
+"We will hope for the best, Pedro," I exclaimed.  "Something may occur
+to deliver us.  We must consider, however, what we have to do.  I
+propose that we first make a tour of inspection round our dominions.  It
+will give us some occupation, though idleness seems rather encouraged
+here."
+
+"I would rather find the way out of our dominions, as you call them,
+than become better acquainted with them," said Pedro.  "However, I am
+ready to set out whenever you please."
+
+"We may possibly find the way out during our inspection," I remarked, as
+we began slowly and cautiously to move round the walls of the cell.
+
+It was narrow but long, and extended, as I concluded, along part of one
+side of the inner court.  We found two other pillars towards the further
+end, and we felt several rings secured in the walls, with heavy chains
+attached to them.  Of their use there could be no doubt; and we
+congratulated ourselves that we were still allowed to have our limbs at
+liberty.  In our walk we stumbled over an iron bar, and our feet knocked
+against some other rings attached to stones sunk in the floor.
+
+"So some of the inmates of the mansion have been chained down like
+maniacs to the ground," Pedro observed.  "We are indeed fortunate in
+escaping such treatment."
+
+Though we searched most minutely, we could discover nothing which might
+suggest any means of escaping.  We had just concluded an examination,
+and had returned to our seats, when the door of the dungeon was opened,
+and the gaoler appeared, bringing a jar of water and two loaves of brown
+bread.
+
+Pedro examined his countenance.  "Stop," he exclaimed, as the man was
+going away; "Sancho Lopez, I do believe you are an old friend of mine."
+
+"In truth yes, and you saved my life," answered the gaoler.  "But I must
+not stop--but I must not stop.  Be at rest, I do not forget the matter."
+
+Pedro afterwards told me how he had saved the Spanish gaoler's life in a
+snow-storm in the mountains, and we agreed that it was a great thing to
+have him as our friend.
+
+We had been in the dungeon about a fortnight, and though it was damp and
+unwholesome in the extreme, we did not appear to have suffered in
+health.
+
+One morning Sancho entered our cell with a cheerful countenance.
+
+"I bring you good news, Senores," he said.  "I have just received a
+visit from a young officer, who has, it appears, been making interest in
+your favour; and he has gained permission for your removal to a more
+airy abode.  He seemed very anxious about you, and said he pitied you
+very much, though he was unable to obtain your liberty, which he wished
+to do.  I hurried here to tell you this, as I thought it would give you
+pleasure.  I must now go back to get the chambers ready for you, and
+will return with two of the under gaolers to conduct you to it.  One
+caution I have to give you.  Do not mind what I say to you before
+others, and never answer any of my remarks."
+
+Without waiting for our reply and thanks, Sancho closed the prison door,
+and left us to ourselves.
+
+"We have to thank Don Eduardo for this.  I am sure he is the officer
+Sancho spoke of," I remarked.
+
+"I think so also," answered Pedro.  "I am glad that he has not asked us
+to pass our word not to escape."
+
+"So am I," I observed.  "While we were on our road here, I often
+contemplated the possibility of getting out of prison; but then I did
+not expect to be put into a dungeon like this."
+
+For some time we could talk of nothing else but the prospect of making
+our escape.
+
+Two hours or more had passed away, and Sancho had not returned.  We knew
+that he would not willingly have deceived us, but we began to be afraid
+that the governor had rescinded his permission for our occupying a room
+open to the air, and that we might be doomed to remain in our dungeon
+for weeks or months longer.  At last we heard footsteps approaching the
+cell; the door was opened, and Sancho and his two assistants appeared.
+
+"You are to accompany me, Senores," he said, in the gruff tone he had
+used at our entrance.  "You are fortunate in coming out of that place
+alive; though some I have known would rather have had to remain there
+than be obliged to march out into the square yonder."
+
+The assistants laughed as he said this, and we soon had too great a
+reason to know to what he alluded.  Sancho led the way with a torch in
+his hand; and his assistants followed, holding us tightly by the arms,
+as if we would have tried to escape from them.  I certainly could not
+have done so had I tried, for when I came to mount the steps, I found my
+knees trembling under me from weakness, arising from being shut up so
+long in the damp dungeon, though I had till then thought myself as
+strong as ever.  We traversed a number of passages, and mounted a second
+flight of steps, when we reached a small door plated with iron.  Sancho
+opened it, and exhibited a room about six feet broad and eight feet
+long, with a window strongly barred at the further end.  There were two
+chairs and a bedstead, with a straw mattress on it.
+
+"Put the youngsters in there," he said gruffly to his assistants.  "It
+is a room fit for an hidalgo of the first order.  They may see and be
+seen if they choose to put their noses through the gratings."
+
+On this the gaolers very unceremoniously thrust us in, and Sancho,
+without saying a word more, closed the door upon us.  It appeared such
+an age since we had beheld the blue sky and the smiling face of nature,
+that we eagerly rushed to the window to discover what view could be
+obtained from it.  We found, to our no small satisfaction, that it was
+not more than twelve or fifteen feet from the ground, and that it looked
+out on the great square I have before described.  I have never forgotten
+the sensations of delight with which I inhaled the fresh air as it came
+through the open bars, and gazed once more on the bright sky, and the
+clear water of the river, the fields, and the trees beyond, and the
+human beings who were thronging the open space below us.  They all
+appeared so full of life and activity, and the murmur of their voices
+seemed like music to my ears, so long accustomed to the silence of the
+dungeon.  The bars of the window were very strong, and placed very close
+together, so that, as Sancho had observed, we could only just get our
+noses through them.  We were, however, glad to get them out as far as we
+could, and every moment I found the breeze restoring to my limbs their
+accustomed strength.  My first impulse was to shake the bars to try and
+find whether any of them could be moved; but I restrained myself, lest
+some one from below should observe us and suspect that we were thinking
+of escaping.  As we stood there, we heard several voices in piteous
+tones asking for alms; and by pressing our faces close to the bars, we
+discovered that some of the prisoners in the neighbouring rooms were
+letting down hats and baskets by lines at the ends of poles, like
+fishing rods, to collect food and money from the passers-by.  We were
+still eagerly watching the scene, when I felt a hand laid on my
+shoulder.  I started back, and saw Sancho.  We had been so interested
+that we had not heard him enter.  He placed his finger on his lips to
+impose silence.
+
+"I have been so occupied that I could not come before," he whispered.
+"I have brought you some white bread, and some meat, and fruit, and
+fresh water, and a little brandy to mix with it, which have been ordered
+by the friend who has obtained for you the indulgence of this room.
+Here are the provisions."  He put down in the chair a basket covered
+with a cloth.  "I cannot remain, for a fresh set of prisoners have
+lately arrived, and I am employed in looking after them."
+
+"Who are they?"  I asked.  "More Indians, I fear."
+
+"Yes, Senor; there are a hundred of them.  Poor fellows, I pity them,
+for they will certainly be shot in the great square out there before
+many days are over.  There is a young chief among them.  I grieve for
+him most, for he is a very fine fellow.  He walked along as he came to
+prison like a prince, and heeded not the shouts and revilings of the mob
+who followed him and his companions.  Their misery will soon be over,
+for they are to be tried to-morrow, and they have not a chance of
+escape."
+
+"Can you tell me his name!"  I asked anxiously; for I instantly thought
+of Manco.
+
+"No, I cannot," he answered.  "I only know that he was taken a few clays
+ago in a skirmish with the enemy, who are not many leagues off.  It is
+feared even that they may attack the town, though we have too many
+soldiers here to give them much chance of success."
+
+"I trust they will not," I exclaimed, thinking of the dreadful scenes
+which had before occurred.  "But can you learn the name of this young
+chief?  I fear he is a friend of ours."
+
+"Oh, do not acknowledge him, then," said the gaoler, "as you value your
+lives.  You cannot benefit him, and may run the risk of sharing his
+fate."
+
+I saw the mistake I had committed; but still I pressed Sancho to learn
+who he was, and he undertook to comply with my wish, provided I followed
+his advice.  I again asked him to inform us who was the friend who had
+interested himself in our favour; but he replied that he was not at
+liberty to say, and he then hurried from the room.
+
+The news he had brought made us very sad, for we could not help
+contemplating the scene of bloodshed which was about to occur, which was
+of itself sufficiently horrible, even should my suspicions that Manco
+was a prisoner not prove correct.  We were doomed not to have our
+anxiety relieved, for Sancho did not again make his appearance during
+the day.  He was probably afraid of being observed if he visited us too
+frequently.  We ate the food Sancho had brought us most thankfully, and
+it much contributed to restore our strength; but we had lost all
+pleasure in looking out of the window on the square, which was so soon
+to be the scene of the slaughter of so many of our fellow-creatures.  We
+found a bundle of blankets and some clean linen hid away under the
+bedding; for the latter, which to us was a great luxury, we had no doubt
+we were indebted to Don Eduardo.  At night we threw ourselves on the
+bed, and tried to sleep; but my rest was very disturbed, and I
+constantly dreamed that I heard firing, and saw the unhappy Indians
+being shot down before the windows.  Towards morning, however, I fell
+into a deep slumber; and, probably owing to the change of air and the
+improvement in our food, we both slept to a much later hour than usual.
+We were awakened by the confused sound of the voices of a concourse of
+people, and jumping up, we hurried to the window.  From thence we saw a
+large crowd collected in the square, who seemed to be eagerly watching
+the doors of the prison.  We could distinguish the tones of those
+nearest to us; and from the words which reached us, we learned that a
+sort of trial had taken place the previous evening of the prisoners
+lately captured, as well as of those in Tupac Catari's army, and that
+they were all condemned to be shot.  No one seemed to pity them; but, on
+the contrary, all appeared to exult at the prospect of the slaughter
+which was about to commence.
+
+"The pretended Inca, Tupac Amaru, has been taken," said one man.
+
+"No; that is a mistake," was the answer.  "But another chief has, though
+he fought like a lion, it is said."
+
+"Who is he?" asked another.
+
+"A relation of the Inca's: one of the viper's brood," replied the first.
+
+"They say two strangers were made prisoners leading on the rebels,"
+observed a third.  "They are to be shot also, I hope."
+
+"No doubt of it; but the viceroy has thought it necessary to send to
+explain the matter to the English consul at Lima; and his answer has not
+arrived," remarked a fourth.
+
+"It is known that it cannot arrive for three or four more days; and care
+will be taken to shoot them before that time," said the former speaker.
+
+"Can they allude to us?"  I asked of Pedro, feeling my heart sink within
+me.
+
+"There is no doubt about it," he replied.  "We must be prepared for the
+worst; but I do not think they will dare to kill one of your great
+nation.  They will shoot me though, as I have no friends to help me."
+
+"Nor have I, Pedro; but I would rather say, Let us hope for the best," I
+answered.  "They would gain nothing by killing either of us, and it
+would be very unjust to kill you and let me escape."
+
+"It would be very unjust to kill either of us; but they care little for
+justice, and they wish to strike terror into the hearts of their
+enemies," he remarked calmly.
+
+"Such cruelty as they are about to perpetrate will only exasperate the
+Indians the more," said I.  "If they were to treat them well, and let
+them go, they would be more likely to put down the rebellion."
+
+The crowd was every moment increasing, as people were coming in from all
+directions.  Among them were a large number of Indians, mestizos, and
+other half-castes, who seemed to look on with the same unconcern as the
+Spaniards.  My eye had been attracted by a man whose florid complexion
+and dress showed that he was a seaman of some northern nation, and I
+hoped an Englishman.  He shouldered his way through the crowd with a
+confident, independent air, as if he felt himself superior to any about
+him.  At length he came close under our window, and caught my eye
+watching him.  He stared at me fixedly for some time, and I thought
+recognised me to be a countryman by my light hair and fair complexion.
+Once he put his hand up to his mouth, as if he was going to hail me, as
+he would a man at the masthead; but he again let it drop, having
+apparently changed his mind, and, returning his hands to his trousers
+pockets, he rolled away with the unmistakeable air of a British seaman.
+I longed to call after him to tell who I was; but, afraid of being heard
+by others, I restrained myself.
+
+"Is that man a friend of yours?" asked Pedro.
+
+"I never saw him that I know of before," I answered.
+
+"Well, I thought that he recognised you," he observed.  "I marked the
+expression of his eye, and I should say that he knew you, or mistook you
+for some one else."
+
+I eagerly watched the sailor, afraid that he would go away, and that we
+should see him no more.  I observed, however, that though he dodged
+about among the crowd with a careless air, he never got to any great
+distance from our window.  This circumstance kept alive my hope that he
+had come for the purpose of bringing us information, or of helping us to
+escape.  The crowd had now begun to grow as impatient at the
+non-appearance of the prisoners as they would at a bull-fight, had there
+been a delay in turning the bull into the circus, when three bodies of
+troops were seen marching up from the several streets leading into the
+square.  They formed on either side of it, making a lane from the prison
+gates to the river; while the crowd fell back behind them.  I had
+observed a number of Indians collecting on the opposite bank of the
+river, who now came down close to its edge, watching anxiously the
+proceedings of the soldiers.  They appeared, however, not to be remarked
+by the people in the town.  As they were partly concealed by the trees
+and the walls dividing the fields, their numbers might not have been
+perceived by the people in the square.  The bell of the nearest church
+began to toll; the crowd looked eagerly towards the prison; the massive
+gates were thrown open, and we saw issuing forth a posse of priests and
+monks, bearing crucifixes and lighted tapers, who were followed by the
+unhappy Indians intended for execution, chained two and two, and each
+couple guarded by a soldier with his musket presented at their heads.
+
+I watched them file out with aching eyes, for every moment I expected to
+see Manco led forth.  I had a painful presentiment that he was among the
+victims.  The last of the Indians had passed on, and I began to breathe
+more freely; but still the crowd began to look towards the gates of the
+prison.  Alas!  I was not mistaken.  The mob raised a shout of
+exultation, and I saw a man I could too clearly recognise, between two
+soldiers, with a priest advancing before him, and reciting the prayers
+for the dead.  It was the kind, the brave Manco himself.  He walked on
+with a proud and dignified air, undaunted by the revengeful shouts of
+his enemies, thirsting for his blood.  His step was firm, and his brow
+was unclouded, and his lips were firmly set; but I observed that his
+bright dark eyes were every now and then ranging anxiously among the
+crowd, as if in search of a friendly glance.  His fellow-beings who
+formed the mob, looked at him with eager and savage curiosity; but no
+one appeared to offer him any sign of recognition.  He was closely
+followed by a company of soldiers, with arms presented.  They formed, I
+discovered, the fatal firing party.  As they advanced, the other
+soldiers formed in the rear, and the mob followed close behind.  The
+sailor, I observed, went with the rest for a short distance, but when he
+found that their attention was entirely occupied with the prisoners, he
+disengaged himself from among them, and rolled back with his unconcerned
+air towards our window.
+
+"Shipmate, ahoy," he exclaimed in a suppressed tone as he passed.
+
+"Who are you?"  I asked eagerly.
+
+"A friend in need," he answered, in the same low tone.  "Keep a stout
+heart in your body, and if you can manage to rig a line of some sort,
+let it down out of your window soon after dark.  If it's just strong
+enough to haul up another it will do.  I'll bring a stout one with me."
+
+"We'll do as you say, friend, and many thanks," I answered.
+
+"That's all right then," said the seaman.  "When you hear a cat mew
+under your window, let down the line.  I shan't be far off.  I must now
+go along with the crowd to see what's going on.  I wish that I could
+lend a helping hand to some of those poor fellows; but it won't do, I
+must look after you, you know.  A countryman in distress has the first
+right to my services."
+
+I longed to learn who he was; but before I could ask him, he had
+sauntered away among the crowd.  Meantime the soldiers had formed three
+sides of a hollow square, the river forming the fourth.  Close to the
+bank there stood a large group of human beings--the victims destined for
+execution.  Their arms and legs were secured with cords, so that they
+could not escape.  They uttered no cries or lamentations, but appeared
+ready to meet their fate with stoical indifference.  The priests, with
+their crucifixes and candles, collected round them, exhorting them to
+repentance, and uttering prayers which none of them could understand.  I
+looked anxiously for Manco, but he was not among them, and at last I
+discovered him standing apart, under charge of a file of soldiers.  With
+a refinement of cruelty, it was intended that he should witness the
+execution of his friends and countrymen, before he himself was led forth
+to be shot.  A priest stood by his side, endeavouring to make him listen
+to the words of exhortation he was pouring into his ears; but, I judged,
+with no effect.  His arms were folded, and his eyes were turned towards
+the group in the centre.  Several officers were riding about the square.
+At a signal from one of them (the colonel who had sent us to prison),
+the priests retired; and the firing party, consisting of a hundred men,
+fell back to the distance of about twenty paces.  There was a death-like
+silence; even the savage crowd were awed.  I could scarcely breathe, and
+a mist came before my eyes.
+
+There was a pause of a minute.  Perhaps, I thought, the commanding
+officer himself hesitates to give the word which must send so many of
+his fellow-creatures to eternity.  I was mistaken.  "Fire," he shouted,
+in a sharp loud voice.  A rapid discharge of musketry was heard, and as
+the smoke cleared off, a number of the prisoners were seen struggling
+and writhing in agony on the ground.  Some of them lay still enough, for
+they, more fortunate, were shot dead; while the wounded uttered the most
+fearful shrieks and cries for mercy.  More than two-thirds stood erect,
+unharmed by the bullets.  The soldiers, loaded as fast as they could,
+and again sent forth a deadly fire from their muskets.  The number of
+prisoners was fearfully thinned.  The soldiers fired again and again,
+and each time fewer remained alive.  At last but two Indians continued
+standing side by side, unscathed by the fire.  I was in hopes that they
+might have been pardoned; but no, the soldiers advancing, presented
+their pieces at their breasts and shot them dead, while those who lay
+wounded on the ground were likewise put out of their misery.
+
+All eyes were now turned towards the chief Manco.  I know not on what
+account his limbs were allowed to remain unfettered.  Perhaps they
+thought that among such a crowd a single man could do no one an injury.
+He walked along towards the spot where his murdered countrymen lay in
+heaps, with his head erect, and a firm, unfaltering step.  The priest
+followed him; but he waved him off, as if his services were of no
+further avail.  Even the officers seemed to feel some respect for him;
+and I saw one of them give him a handkerchief, with which to give the
+signal for the soldiers to fire.  He stood boldly facing them, with his
+eye firmly fixed on his executioners, a little way on one side of the
+heap of dead men.  My heart felt ready to burst; yet painful as it was,
+I could not withdraw my sight from him.  I anxiously watched for the
+fatal moment.  He gave a leap upwards it appeared, and threw the
+handkerchief in the air.  The soldiers fired; but when the smoke cleared
+we could not distinguish his body on the ground.  The head and shoulders
+of a man were, however, seen in the waters of the river, and he was
+striking out with powerful strokes towards the opposite shore, where at
+the same instant a number of Indians were observed plunging in to meet
+him.
+
+"See, Pedro, he has escaped--he has escaped!"  I exclaimed.  "It is
+Manco I am certain; how bravely he swims.  They will not be so cruel as
+to kill him now.  He will reach the opposite shore.  Ah! alas, he sinks.
+No, he has only dived; see, he comes up some way down the stream."
+
+The firing party advanced to the banks; but they had expended all their
+cartridges, I suppose, for they stood watching him in stupid
+astonishment; and no one, for a minute or more, thought of ordering any
+of the other soldiers to advance and fire.  This gave the swimmer a
+great advantage; and as the current was strong, he had soon glided some
+way down below the square.  At last some hundred men advanced to the
+edge of the river, and opened a rapid fire on him; but still he
+continued his course undaunted.  The Indians on the banks set up loud
+shouts, as did those who had swam out to meet him.  He was quickly among
+them, when it became impossible to distinguish him from the rest.  Many,
+I suspected, lost their lives in their attempt to save their chief.  A
+number of soldiers jumped into the canoes on the banks of the river, and
+attempted to pursue the fugitive; but long before they could have
+reached him, the swimmers had landed, and were seen rushing up among the
+trees.  Whether or not he was among them I could not tell; for the
+bodies of those who were killed floated down the stream out of sight.  A
+rapid fire was kept up at the opposite bank, which the Indians, as they
+landed, had to pass through; but they were soon sheltered from its
+effects by the trees, and in a few moments not one of them was to be
+seen.  Carts came to convey the dead away; sand was strewed over the
+spot; the crowd, murmuring at the escape of the principal victim,
+dispersed; and the square in a short time resumed its usual appearance.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
+
+A FRIEND IN NEED--OUR ESCAPE.
+
+Pedro and I turned from the window, and sitting down, with our hands
+before our faces, endeavoured to shut out the dreadful sights we had
+witnessed.  It was satisfactory, however, to believe that Manco had
+escaped; and I trusted that he would not fall again into the power of
+his enemies.  When Sancho entered with a supply of provisions, he found
+us so employed.
+
+I do not know whether he suspected that we had some hopes of making our
+escape, and wished to warn us of the danger.  His manner, I remarked,
+was more cordial than usual; and perhaps he did not expect to see us
+again.  As soon as he had left us, we consulted how we should form a
+line to let down out of the window, as our sailor friend had advised.
+We hunted about, but could not find even the smallest piece of rope.  At
+last I suggested that we might tear up one of our shirts, and by
+twisting the bits and tying them together, we might make a line long
+enough to reach the ground, and strong enough to haul up a thick rope.
+We forthwith, therefore, set to work; and having tried each bit as we
+fastened it on, we were satisfied that our line would answer our
+purpose.
+
+It was nearly dusk by the time we had finished it; and lest some one
+should by chance come in and see what we had been about, we hid it away
+under the mattress.  It was fortunate that we took this precaution, for
+just as we had done so the door opened, and a gaoler, accompanied by our
+kind friend, Don Eduardo, and another person, entered the room.  Don
+Eduardo bowed to us, and as he took a seat which Sancho offered him, he
+looked at us rather sternly, as much as to signify that we must not
+appear on familiar terms.
+
+"I have brought this gentleman to prepare your defence for you, Senores,
+as I hear that you are to be tried to-morrow," he said, in a kind tone.
+"I am sorry to tell you that it will go hard with you if you cannot
+establish your innocence."
+
+"I have to thank you very much, Don Eduardo," I answered; "but all we
+can do is to protest our innocence--we have no witnesses.  The Indians,
+who might have proved that we were ourselves taken prisoners by their
+chief, have this morning been shot."
+
+"It is indeed a difficult case," remarked the advocate.  "I will do my
+best, Don Eduardo; and we must hope that something will appear in their
+favour."
+
+I need not repeat all that took place.  The advocate asked us a variety
+of questions, and made a number of notes; and then rising, followed Don
+Eduardo, who stiffly bowed to us as before, out of the room.  Sancho,
+who went last, turned his head over his shoulder, and shook his head,
+with a grave expression on his face, which showed us that he thought our
+case was desperate.  This circumstance made us more anxious than ever to
+effect our escape; and we waited anxiously for the signal the English
+sailor had promised us.  By degrees the noises inside and outside the
+prison died away.  People, fatigued with the excitement of the morning,
+had retired earlier than usual to their homes, and the square was
+totally deserted.  It was very dark, for there was no moon, and a thick
+mist rising from the river, hung over the town; and what was of more use
+to us, there was a strong wind, which howled and moaned among the
+buildings, and rattled about the tiles.  The time seemed to pass very
+slowly; and we began to fancy that the seaman might have been prevented
+from fulfilling his intention.
+
+"Perhaps he was watched speaking to us, and has been taken up by the
+officers of justice," I remarked.
+
+"Perhaps he was found coming here with a rope in his possession," said
+Pedro; "or perhaps he was deceiving us."
+
+"No, I will not believe that," I answered indignantly.  "I am sure he is
+honest.  He is an Englishman and a sailor, there is no mistaking that;
+and he did not look or speak like a rogue.  Let us hope for the best."
+
+Just as I made this observation, we heard what sounded like the mew of a
+kitten, just under the window.  We instantly jumped up, and I let down
+our line.  I felt it gently tugged.
+
+"Haul up," said a voice; and as we got to the end, we found a rope
+sufficiently strong to bear a man's weight attached to the end.
+
+"Fasten that to a strong bar; and look out not to make a lubber's knot,"
+added the voice.
+
+We did as we were bid; and soon after a strong tug had been given to the
+rope, a man's head and shoulders appeared at the window.  He looked in
+to discover who was in the room.
+
+"All friends here?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, to a friend in need," I replied.
+
+"All right then," he said; and, apparently satisfied, he climbed up
+farther, and sat himself down securely on the window-ledge.  "Now my
+lads, you'd like to get out of this, I suppose," he said, in a careless
+tone, which showed that he was in no way agitated by the risk he was
+running.  "Well, there isn't a moment to be lost; and so I've brought
+three files, that we may all work away at the bars together."
+
+Pedro and I took the files he offered us, and waited till he had
+examined the bars.
+
+"Here are two together, which seem loosened in their sockets," he
+observed.  "Now it seems to me, mates, if we were to file away at the
+upper part, just below the lowest cross bar, and could wrench out those
+two bars, as you are not very stout, there would be room for you two to
+slip through."
+
+"I feel sure that we could easily get through," I answered; "but what
+are we to do, friend, when we are outside?"
+
+"Never you trouble your head about that, youngster," he replied.  "I've
+planned it all, and it can't fail; so do you just take the file and work
+away."
+
+Thus admonished, Pedro and I began to file away at one bar, while the
+sailor attacked the other.
+
+"Don't stop," he whispered; "the noise is much less likely to be noticed
+if you go on regularly with it, than it breaks off every now and then."
+
+We filed away accordingly with all our might; but I could not help
+trembling at times with alarm lest we should be heard; for though the
+wind howled and whistled in a most satisfactory manner, yet there is
+something so peculiar in the sound of filing, that I was afraid the
+sharp ears of the gaoler or guards might hear it.  Pedro and I had got
+through more than two-thirds of our bar, and we agreed that we might
+easily wrench it out of its place, when our arms began to ache, and as
+we rested for a minute, we heard a footstep approaching the room.  In
+great alarm, we told the sailor.
+
+"Never mind," he answered, quite calmly.  "Stow the files away, and lie
+down on the bed, and pretend to be fast asleep.  I've got a lump of
+pitch in my pocket, and I'll just fill up the grooves we've made in the
+bars, so that they'll not be observed.  There, that will do.  Now I'll
+just wait down below till your visitor has gone."
+
+We threw ourselves on the bed, as he advised, and listened with intense
+anxiety.  The footsteps passed by, and we heard doors opening near us.
+All was again silent for some time; and we had just sprung up, and were
+about to call the sailor, when we heard the footsteps returning.  We
+threw ourselves down once more on the bed.  Just as we had done so, the
+door opened, and Sancho, holding a lantern in his hand, put his head
+into the room.  His two assistants appeared behind him.  As the light
+flashed on my eyes, I closed them fast.
+
+"All right here, the lads are fast asleep," he said, turning to the men.
+"Hillo!  Senores, wake up, will you.  The governor has received notice
+that some stranger was seen this morning, wandering about outside the
+prison; and he has sent us round to see that all our inmates were safe.
+Just remember, then, that we paid you a visit, that's all.  Now go to
+sleep again, for you won't have many more nights to rest here.  Ha! ha!
+ha!"
+
+The men laughed as he said this, as if they thought it a very good joke;
+and Pedro and I sat up and rubbed our eyes.
+
+"_Buenos noches_, good night, Senores," he repeated; and to our infinite
+satisfaction, without approaching the window, he and his assistants
+retired, and closed the door behind them.
+
+We listened till their footsteps had died away in the distance; and then
+jumping up, we went to the window, where I gave a low mew, which was
+answered by the sailor, who quickly climbed back again to his former
+post.  I told him in hurried accents what had occurred.
+
+"Never mind," he answered coolly.  "More reason for haste.  Another
+half-hour's work will set you free.  Bear a hand about it, then."
+
+His calmness reassured us; and having carefully cleared away the pitch,
+we went on filing at the bar as fast as we could.  My heart certainly
+did beat more rapidly than it had ever done before; for I expected every
+moment to be interrupted by the entrance of the gaolers.  Fortunately
+the wind blew, and the tiles rattled more loudly than ever.  At last, to
+our great satisfaction, both the bars were almost filed through.  The
+sailor seized the one he had been working at, and with a powerful
+wrench, tore it from the stone window-frame.
+
+"There," he said, giving me the piece of bar.  "Put it carefully down.
+We will leave it as a legacy behind us."
+
+Pedro and I grasped the other, and with all our strength tore it away.
+
+"Hurra! all right now, mates," said the the sailor, scarcely refraining
+from giving a cheer.  "Bear a hand, and squeeze through.  I'll help
+you."
+
+"You go first," said Pedro.  "I'll follow you."
+
+I could just manage to squeeze my head and shoulders between the bars;
+and with the assistance of the sailor, who hauled away by my collar, I
+found myself standing outside them on the window-ledge.
+
+"There won't be room for all of us outside, so do you, mate, just get
+hold of the rope and slide down to the ground," observed the sailor.
+
+"Where is it?"  I asked, for I could neither see nor feel it.
+
+"Get hold of the bars with your hands, and lower yourself till you get
+your feet round the rope.  Don't let go with one hand till you've a firm
+hold with the other.  I'll guide you."
+
+Following his instructions, I lowered my body over the window-sill till
+I could grasp the rope with my hands, when without much difficulty I
+slid down to the ground.  For an instant my satisfaction at being once
+more outside the prison walls made me forget the risk we ran of being
+recaptured, and the difficulties we had still to undergo.  I stood
+anxiously watching for the appearance of my companions; for it was so
+dark that I could not distinguish them even at the short distance
+between the ground and the window.  In moments such as those, each one
+appears an age, and I trembled for our safety.  At last I saw a figure
+gliding down the rope.  It was Pedro.  Scarcely had he reached the
+ground when the sailor was by my side.
+
+"Now, mates," he whispered, "let's hold on to each other, and put our
+best legs foremost.  I've a canoe ready on the banks of the river, and
+we may be far away before our flight is discovered."
+
+We lost no time in words, but taking each other's hands that we might
+not be separated, we ran as fast as we could across the square, guided
+by the sailor, who had taken the bearings of some lights he told us to
+steer by.  Owing to the stormy weather and the late hour, no one was
+crossing the square; indeed, even the most callous were probably
+inclined to avoid the spot where the Indians had been executed in the
+morning.  We must have passed close to it.  At last we reached the side
+of the river, but had not hit the place where the sailor had left the
+canoe.  Here was another difficulty.  Could any one have removed it?  We
+groped about for some time in vain.
+
+"Can you both swim?" asked the sailor.
+
+"Yes; but it's a long way across, and there are perhaps crocodiles in
+the water," I answered.
+
+"Better be drowned or swallowed up by a crocodile, my lads, than retaken
+by those land-sharks," he observed.  "It must come to that if we cannot
+find the canoe."
+
+Pedro and I agreed to this; and, though we had not our full strength, we
+prepared to take the swim, trusting to the brave fellow's assistance.
+
+"Well, I see there's some risk, so we'll have another hunt for the canoe
+first," he observed.  "Stay, I think it's lower down the stream."
+
+He was right.  Directly afterwards, to our great satisfaction, we
+stumbled upon the canoe.  To launch it was the work of a moment; but
+though we hunted in every direction, we could only find one paddle.
+
+"One must do," said the sailor.  "I can manage.  No time to be lost,
+though."
+
+Saying this, he stepped in first, and seated himself in the stern, with
+the paddle in his hand.  He then turned the head of the canoe to the
+bank, and told Pedro and me to creep in carefully over the bow.  We did
+so, and placed ourselves by his direction along the bottom.  A stroke of
+his paddle then turned the canoe round, and we floated rapidly down the
+stream.  I listened for any sound to indicate that we were followed, but
+nothing could be heard above the howling of the wind in the trees.
+Neither of us uttered a word, not that there was much chance of being
+heard by any one on shore.  The water bubbled and hissed round us, and
+the wind threw it in sheets of spray over our heads.  At times it came
+rippling over the sides of the canoe, and there seemed a prospect of its
+being filled; but the seaman held on his course without hesitation.  We
+had shot quickly by the few lights which here and there twinkled from
+the houses, and were beginning to breathe more freely, thinking that we
+had altogether got clear of the town, when I fancied I heard the splash
+of oars behind us.  I could not tell if the sailor had heard the sound,
+but he seemed to ply his paddle with even greater vigour than before.
+Once or twice he turned his head for an instant, which confirmed me in
+the idea that we were followed; but even his practised eye could not
+pierce the darkness which shrouded us.  At last I saw that he had
+relaxed in his efforts, and that he kept his paddle moving sufficiently
+only to guide the canoe as it dropped down with the current.  We had
+been a couple of hours in the canoe, or perhaps not quite so long,
+though the anxiety we felt made the time pass slowly.
+
+"Well, I believe it was only a cayman or an alligator, or one of those
+sort of brutes, after all," he exclaimed, drawing a deep breath, like a
+man relieved from a heavy care.
+
+"I have not been able yet to thank you, friend, for what you have
+already done for us; but I should like to know what you propose doing
+next," said I, as soon as I found we might venture to speak.
+
+"Well, that's just what I was thinking of, mate, myself," he answered.
+"But you needn't thank me, for to my mind, I haven't done much for you
+yet.  All I have had time for was to get you out of limbo, and afloat on
+this here river.  We must now hold a council of war, to know what's to
+be done."
+
+As he said this, he made the canoe glide in towards the nearest bank.
+We quickly found ourselves in a quiet bay, overhung with trees, into
+which we had by chance entered.  The sailor held on by the bough of a
+tree, which served to keep the canoe from floating out again.  The wind
+had much abated, and the sky had become much clearer, so that there was
+sufficient light to enable us to steer free of any dangers in the middle
+of the stream; though where we now were we should have been completely
+concealed from the sight of persons on board any boat which might have
+been passing, or even of one sent in search of us.
+
+"Well," said the sailor, "what do you propose, mate?"
+
+"I must first ask you whereabouts we are," I answered.  "I promised an
+Indian who preserved my life, to return to him before I left the
+country, but I cannot tell where he is now to be found.  Our wisest plan
+would be to try and reach the sea, so as to get on board some English
+ship.  I do not think we shall be safe till then."
+
+"What has your friend, then, to say to the matter?" said the sailor.
+
+"He does not understand English, but I will ask him."
+
+Pedro replied that he thought we should be guided by the sailor, who had
+already helped us so much.
+
+The sailor seemed pleased with the answer.
+
+"Why, then, I'll try and do my best for you, mates," he said.  "You see
+we are about ten miles away from your prison, and somewhere close upon
+two hundred miles from the nearest port where we are likely to fall in
+with any English ship.  The Spaniards don't encourage them to come
+openly into their ports with the high duties they clap on, though
+there's a good deal of smuggling on the coast; and more than half the
+British manufactures used in the country are landed without paying a
+farthing of duty.  I would rather stick to the river as long as we
+could; but then, you see, it's the very place the Spaniards are likely
+to send to look for us.  So I propose that we pull down some five or six
+miles further, where there are some rapids which we cannot pass, and
+then we will land on the south bank, and make our way over towards the
+country they call Chili, though it's hot enough, to my mind, at times.
+We might manage, to be sure, to get across the mountains, and launch a
+canoe upon one of the streams which run into the river of the Amazons.
+It's a long way, to be sure, but others have gone down the river; and I
+don't see, if we can keep stout hearts in our bodies, why we shouldn't.
+When one man has done a thing, I always think another may, if he set the
+right way about it."
+
+"A voyage down the river of the Amazons!"  I exclaimed.  "The very thing
+I should be delighted to accomplish.  I do not care for the dangers or
+hardships we shall have to encounter.  I say, let us try it by all
+means.  I am sure Pedro will agree.  We must first try and find my
+friend Manco, the Indian chief, if he should have escaped from his
+enemies."
+
+I then explained to the sailor who Manco was.
+
+"That's the spirit I like to see," he answered.  "We shall do, depend
+upon it.  I've no great fancy for being caught by the Spaniards and
+clapped into prison; and they are certain to be looking for us all along
+the western coast.  We shall have to go rather a roundabout way, but
+that can't be helped.  Now, from what I hear, the Indians have pretty
+well cleared the country of the white men to the south of this, so we
+shall have little to fear from the Spaniards; and as you say the Indians
+are your friends, if we fall in with them, it is to be hoped they will
+treat us well.  We can't expect, you know, to get through the world
+without running through a little danger now and then."
+
+I told the sailor I agreed with him.
+
+"And now, my friend," I said, "I have some more questions to ask you.  I
+do not know your name, and I cannot guess how you came to find us out."
+
+"What does that matter, mate?  I do not know yours; and to say the
+truth, I never heard of you till a few days ago, when I heard the people
+talking--for I know something of their lingo--of a young Englishman who
+was to be shot for siding with the Indians.  Now, thinks I to myself,
+that is a very bad thing for the lad, and if I can lend him a hand,
+we'll disappoint the Dons.  It's my belief, a seaman--as far as that
+matters, anybody--ought always to help a countryman in distress, or he's
+not worth his salt."
+
+"Then I ought first to tell you who I am," I replied; and I gave him a
+short account of myself, and my late adventures, and how I came to meet
+with Pedro.
+
+"That's very strange," he muttered; "very strange.  I'm more than ever
+glad to be of use to you.  Now for my name.  It's not a long one.  I'm
+called Ned Gale.  I was born at sea and bred at sea; and it isn't often
+I set foot on shore, so that what good there is in me I picked up
+afloat."
+
+"Then how comes it, Ned Gale, that you got so far inland as this?"  I
+asked.
+
+"Why, you see the ship I sailed in was seized by the Spanish
+authorities, in the port of Callao, where we had been driven by stress
+of weather.  It was alleged that we had been smuggling on the coast,
+which was neither here nor there, as there was no one to prove it.  At
+last the master was advised to appeal to the viceroy, and so he set off
+to Lima to see him, taking me in his company.  When we got to Lima, we
+found that the viceroy had gone up the country; so away we went after
+him.  We travelled over mountains, and across sandy plains, and rivers
+and torrents, day after day, but he always kept ahead of us.  You see
+that he had gone out to fight the Indians; and when at last we came up
+with him, we found him in a very bad humour, for his troops had been
+beaten in every direction.  So he would not listen to a word my captain
+had to say.  The fact was, the bribe Captain Hindson had been advised to
+offer him was not large enough.  My poor captain had before been very
+ill, and as the ship was, his own property, and all he possessed in the
+world, his loss ruined him.  From the day he got the viceroy's answer,
+he never again lifted up his head; and in a week he died in my arms.  It
+was of a broken heart, I suppose; for there was nothing the matter with
+him that I could see.  Poor fellow, I have seen many a shipmate struck
+down by the shot of the enemy, or sinking under the foaming waves, when
+there was no help at hand; but I never mourned for one as I did for him,
+for he was a right honest and kind man.  The Dons did not show much
+Christian charity towards him after he was dead either, for they said he
+was a heretic; so they would not bury him in the churchyard, but carried
+him away to a field, where they dug a hole and covered him up like a
+dog.  I didn't think that mattered at all, however; so I owed them no
+grudge for it.  I never could see the use of praying for a man after he
+was dead.  He did not mind where he lay, and God will know where to look
+for him at the last day, when he has to stand his trial like all of us.
+At first I felt a wish to die too; but I soon got over that, and taking
+the money and the few things the captain had given me (I've got his note
+about that matter--his will he called it), I started off for the coast
+to look out for another ship.  As I have been often in the country, I
+have picked up some of their lingo, so got on well enough among the
+Dons; but I found I couldn't very well travel alone, and often had to
+wait till I found some one going my road.  It was in this way, while I
+was looking out for companions, that I happened to fall in with you.
+And now you know something of my history, are you willing to trust me?"
+
+"Had I known nothing about it, after the essential service you have
+rendered us, I would confidently have trusted you," I answered.
+
+"Avast now then, mate," exclaimed Ned Gale; "don't give me any soft
+sawder; I'm not fond of it.  I like the cut of your jib, and you like
+the cut of mine; so we shall sail very well in company.  By-and-by we
+shall know more of each other.  And the young Don there, I like his
+looks too, though I'm not over partial to the natives.  Howsomdever,
+we've had talking enough, and as my arms are rested, and there don't
+appear to be any enemy abroad looking for us, we may as well get under
+weigh again."
+
+I agreed with him; and Pedro and I sinking down into our former
+position, we again glided out into the stream.  The river was in places
+very shallow, and more than once we touched the bottom, and the water
+began to foam over the stern; but Gale lifted her clear with his paddle,
+without our being obliged to jump out, and away we went again as rapidly
+as before.  Pedro was very silent--he felt confused and astonished at
+all that had occurred; neither did Ned Gale nor I exchange many words,
+for we could not tell at what moment we might come upon any of the
+villages which are to be found on the banks of the river.  Now and then
+we heard a dog bark, and the crowing of some cocks in the distance gave
+signs of the approach of morning; but no habitations were visible, and
+no human voices gave us cause for alarm.
+
+Several of the villages on the south bank, Ned Gale had learned, had
+been destroyed by the Indians; but they had not attempted to cross to
+the north side.  After about an hour's paddling, we reached a spot
+similar to the one where we had before taken shelter.  We paddled along
+the shore of the little bay for some way, trying to find a place hard
+enough to bear our feet, for the bank was generally soft and muddy
+fringed by a broad belt of reeds, which the alligators must have found
+convenient for tickling their snouts with.
+
+"Step out," said Gale, "and learn if we are likely to make our way
+inland from this.  I will wait for you and look after the canoe."
+
+Doing as he desired, Pedro and I felt our way along with cautious steps,
+for under the trees it was so dark that we could scarcely see our hands
+held up before us.  We found that the ground rose a little way beyond,
+and appeared quite hard.  Satisfied with our discovery, after about a
+quarter of an hour's absence, we commenced our return to the boat.  We
+walked on slowly, every instant expecting to fall into some hole; and at
+last we agreed that we ought to have reached the canoe.  We hunted about
+to the right and to the left, but we could not even see the river.  We
+called out as loud as we dared, but Gale did not answer.
+
+"There is the river; I see it shining through the trees," said Pedro.
+
+Very soon we got up to it; and Pedro, who was a little in advance, was
+very nearly falling in.  I dragged him back, and we began to hunt for
+the canoe.  It was nowhere to be seen.  Again we shouted louder than
+before, but Ned Gale did not answer.  Could he have deserted us?  Such a
+thing seemed impossible, yet we began almost to despair.
+
+"Could an alligator have picked him off?"  I asked Pedro, shuddering as
+I thought of our friend's probable fate.
+
+We had kept along the bank of the river for some way.  Just then Gale's
+voice sounded close to us.  We were soon up with him, and had told him
+of the result of our expedition, and of our alarm.
+
+"It was my fault, I suppose," he answered, laughing.  "I found a tree to
+which I could make the canoe fast, so I thought I might as well take a
+little sleep while you were away.  I heard you call, and dreamed that I
+answered you.  The honest truth is, I spent all last night looking about
+the prison to find you out, so I haven't closed my eyes for many an
+hour.  You'll pardon me, mates, I hope; nature's nature, and will have
+its way."
+
+I assured him, now that we had found him, we did not mind the fright;
+and asked him what he proposed doing next.
+
+"Why, the first thing, you see, is to send the canoe out into the
+stream, so that our enemies may not discover where we have landed," he
+answered.  "It will float away over the falls; so they may be looking
+for us miles below them perhaps."
+
+According to Ned Gale's suggestion, we towed the canoe to the end of the
+point which formed one side of the bay, and he then throwing the paddle
+into it, we gave it a shove, which sent it out into the middle of the
+stream, down which we could distinguish it gliding rapidly away, till it
+was lost to sight.
+
+"We must lose no more time now, mates," said Ned Gale, as we climbed up
+the bank.  "We must get some way inland before daylight, and then stow
+ourselves away in a wood till we have time to look about us.  We must
+keep clear of all cottages, for the white-brown fellows hereabouts would
+make no bones of selling us to the Dons, if they thought they could get
+anything for us.  You see I've brought prog enough to last all hands for
+three days or more, on somewhat short commons; and mayhap we may snare
+some game to eke it out much longer."
+
+This was good news, for, by taking proper precautions, I thought we
+might at all events avoid falling into the hands of the Spaniards; and
+of the Indians I had no fear.  The ground over which we were passing,
+was very rough and uncultivated, and we could discover no beaten path.
+After some time we came to a mud wall; and on the other side we found a
+field full of maize, just fit for cutting.  This gave us a very welcome
+supply of food, and we filled our pockets and caps, and a bag Ned Gale
+had brought with him, for that very purpose.
+
+It was necessary, however, to get away from the farm before daylight; so
+we skirted along the wall, and once more found ourselves on wild ground.
+The whole eastern sky was covered with a mass of flame, a sign that the
+sun himself was about to appear, when we caught sight of a forest
+spreading out before us.  We pushed on much faster than we had been able
+to do during the darkness, and had just concealed ourselves among the
+trees, as the sun, rushing from among the mountains, cast a bright glow
+of light over the plains we had just passed.  The first thing Ned Gale
+did, was to climb up one of the tallest trees on the outskirts of the
+forest, to take a look round and see what was in sight, as, he observed,
+a good seaman always does the first thing in the morning.  When he came
+down, he reported that he had observed in the far distance some smoke,
+which he supposed arose from the farmhouse we had passed in the night;
+but that he had discovered no other human habitation while as far as the
+eye could discern there appeared to be only an uncultivated plain.
+Having eaten nothing since our last meal in the prison, Pedro and I were
+very glad when Ned Gale opened his wallet, and produced some dried meat
+and bread and cheese, and what was almost of greater value, a good
+supply of cocoa.  He had a flint and steel with him, and a tin cup for
+boiling water; so we collected some sticks and lighted a small fire,
+sufficient to cook our cocoa and to parch some peas.  On looking over
+our provisions, we found that we had already ample to last us a week, so
+that we might venture to push across the mountains towards Cuzco, where,
+Manco had told me, he expected about this time the Indians would be
+collected in great force.  We had, however, more than a day's journey
+before we could reach the foot of the mountains, which were upwards of
+thirty miles off.
+
+On hunting about, we discovered a spring of bright water bubbling up
+close to the roots of an enormous tree, which it evidently very much
+assisted to nourish.  We ate a good meal, and then Gale insisted that
+Pedro and I should lie down and rest, while he watched.  As we both of
+us very much required sleep, we were not sorry to follow his advice; and
+in about two hours we awoke much refreshed.
+
+I have not yet described Ned Gale.  He was about five feet six in
+height, and very strongly built, with rather a large head, covered with
+a profusion of light hair.  He wore a full bushy beard and large
+whiskers.  His eyes were full and round, and of the brightest blue I
+have ever seen in those of a man.  His month was large, and filled with
+strong white teeth, and his nose, though rather thick and prominent, was
+otherwise well cut.  Indeed he came up fully to the description of a
+fine-looking fellow without being handsome.  His dress was that of an
+ordinary seaman of those days.  He wore a belt with a brace of pistols
+stuck in it, which were partly concealed by his loose cloth jacket.  His
+head was covered by a small low-crowned straw hat; and the puzzle seemed
+to be how he could manage to keep it on.  Altogether he presented a
+figure very seldom seen so far inland as we then were.
+
+"Come, mates," he exclaimed, "it's time to be making headway again."
+
+We jumped up, and having divided our stores into three equal parts, and
+cut some thick walking-sticks, we shouldered our bundles, and
+recommenced our journey.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
+
+OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE, AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH.
+
+We travelled all day through the forest, the glimpses we every now and
+then obtained of the mountains serving to guide our steps.  On emerging
+from the forest we arrived at a rapid stream.
+
+"How are we to cross this?"  I exclaimed.  "We shall spoil all our
+provisions, and have our clothes wet for the night, if we are obliged to
+swim across."
+
+"Oh, I think we may be able to ford it," said Ned Gale.  "Here, mates,
+let's catch hold of each other's hands, that if one falls the rest can
+pick him up.  I'll lead across, and sound with my stick.  To my mind,
+that's the way people should help each other through the world."
+
+After hunting about for some time, we found a broad place, where, from
+the appearance of the bank on either side, we fancied there might be a
+ford.  So we took off our lower garments, and fastening our loads high
+up on our shoulders, we commenced the passage.  For some way the water
+was shallow, and rose but little above our knees; but we went on slowly,
+Ned carefully sounding with his stick in advance.  It was fortunate that
+we did so, for on a sudden Ned sung out that he could find no bottom;
+and scarcely had he spoken, when he sunk up to his armpits, and had not
+we not hauled him back with all our might, the current would have
+carried him down the stream.  We tried several other places, but
+everywhere found the water too deep to ford.
+
+"It won't do," observed Ned.  "We must stand back to the shore, and try
+to find another way of crossing.  Here, mates, let's set to work and
+collect as many dry rushes as we can pull.  I've seen the Indians cross
+much broader and more rapid rivers than this on a few bundles of
+rushes."
+
+I told him, so had I; and I did not know how it was that I did not think
+of it before.  Ned had a large clasp knife, with which he cut away the
+rushes at a great rate, while, as Pedro and I had had ours taken from us
+in the prison, we were obliged to tear them up by the roots, or to break
+off the dry ones.  When we had made a large heap of them, Ned gave me
+his knife.
+
+"There," he said, "you go on cutting, while I begin to build our craft."
+
+There were some young trees growing near, one of which about ten feet
+long he had cut down.  This he said was to serve as a keel, to make the
+craft somewhat ship-shape.  He first fastened the rushes together in
+small bundles, and these he secured along the pole on either side, one
+outside the other.  He placed smaller bundles at the ends, and fastened
+them together; thus forming in a few minutes a very respectable-looking
+canoe, which, though not water-tight, would have enabled us to perform a
+much longer voyage than we had to undertake.  By placing some bundles at
+intervals across the canoe, we hoped to be able to keep ourselves dry,
+having our feet only in the water.  Our next care was to cut some long
+poles, by which we proposed to pole ourselves across.  Ned Gale said a
+couple would be sufficient, one for him and another for me.  Having cut
+them, we launched our canoe into shallow water, so that we could step
+easily into it; and then, seizing our poles, we shoved out into the
+stream.  Our canoe kept us well out of the water, though it had a
+tendency to turn over, which we were well able to counteract with our
+poles as long as we could reach the bottom.  We had got more than half
+way across, when the water deepened so much that we were obliged to use
+them as oars, or rather paddles, to get across; and we had floated some
+way down the stream before we again could find the bottom.  At last we
+landed, and drew up our canoe.  I proposed leaving it, to make the
+natives wonder at the strange contrivance.
+
+"No, no," said Gale.  "Never mind what the natives may think about it.
+I say, let us stop and pull it to pieces, or some of the Spaniards may
+chance to see it, and it will show them which way we are gone.  It is a
+foolish notion people have of caring what those they may never see or
+hear of again, think of something they have made or done.  Nothing good
+or useful, I mean, but some folly or other.  It's what makes people
+carve their names on the top of a rock, or some out-of-the-way place,
+that somebody else, about as wise as themselves, may know that they have
+been there."
+
+It was the work of two or three minutes only to pull the raft to pieces,
+and to send the bundles of reeds which composed it floating down the
+stream.  Before leaving the river, we sat down and took the meal which
+we called our dinner; and having drunk as much water as we required, we
+filled up the skin Ned had provided, as we could not tell when we might
+again meet with water.  Very fortunate it was that we did so.  Having
+packed up our traps, we trudged onwards.
+
+We had walked about a couple of miles over a country thinly sprinkled
+with trees, and naturally fertile, though now without a human
+habitation, when, on looking ahead, instead of the green colour of the
+grass, and the varied foliage of the trees, we observed, as far as the
+eye could reach, one unvaried mass of reddish brown.
+
+"That's a wild heath ahead of us, which we shall have to pass," observed
+Ned.  "I never saw the like of it."
+
+"See, see," exclaimed Pedro, pointing rather more to the right than we
+had been looking.  "What is that?"
+
+At first we could not guess what was happening.  It appeared as if at a
+little distance off there was a heavy snow-storm falling, the whole air
+being full of large white flakes, so dense as almost to conceal the
+fierce rays of the sun.
+
+"No, it can't be snow--that's certain," said Ned.  "But what it is, I
+can't say."
+
+The seeming snow-drift swept on as we advanced towards the brown heath.
+Pedro ran on a little ahead, and stooping down, soon returned with a
+large insect in his hand, which I recognised as a locust.  It was fully
+three inches in length, of a reddish brown colour, and with very long
+and powerful hind-legs, with which, when Pedro opened his hand, it
+sprung off to a great distance.  The appearance we had seen was that of
+a flight of locusts, or rather a small division of their army, which was
+about to settle directly in our course.
+
+We were soon among their outposts, where they lay pretty thick; but
+beyond, as far as we could see, the ground was completely covered with
+them.  Pedro, who had often seen them before, declared that, like ants
+and bees, they have peculiar laws and regulations; and that those we
+first came upon were, like the sentinels of an army, placed to give
+warning of coming danger.  If such is the case at times, they gave no
+notice of our approach, but merely skipped and jumped about, and knocked
+against our legs as we walked by.
+
+"It's a good job these beasts have no fancy for eating meat as well as
+vegetables," observed Ned.  "If they once began upon us, there wouldn't
+be much of us left in the course of an hour."
+
+As, however, they neither sting nor bite, they did us no harm, though
+they skipped about us in millions as we advanced, while numbers were
+crushed every time we put our feet to the ground.  We proceeded for
+upwards of an hour through this moving mass of life, till we stood
+literally in the centre of a sea of locusts.  It was necessary to push
+on to get from among them before dark, as we had no fancy to attempt to
+rest among such unquiet companions.  It took us more than another
+half-hour to get clear of them; and we calculated that they covered a
+space four to five miles broad at the place we found them.  We then came
+upon the ground which they had occupied, and the most ruthless of
+invaders could not have destroyed a country more completely than they
+had done.  Not a blade of grass remained; every tree and shrub was
+leafless, and their branches were stripped of their bark.  We could not
+help looking with painful amazement on the scene of desolation which
+those small animals had caused.  Not only would they, as Ned Gale said,
+have eaten us up had they been carnivorous, but they might have devoured
+Pizarro and the army with which he conquered Peru in the course of a
+night.  For miles in advance they had left traces of their visit.  We
+congratulated ourselves on having brought water with us, as we could
+find none in the neighbourhood.  What became of this vast flight of
+locusts I could not tell.  I only hope they flew into the sea, or died
+from repletion; for had they gone on consuming as much daily as we saw
+them destroy, they might lay a whole province desolate in the course of
+a few weeks.
+
+We walked on till it was quite dark before we could find a sheltered
+spot in which to bivouac.  At last we reached a deep hollow, which at
+one period of the world's history had been probably part of a
+watercourse, but owing to some convulsion of nature, it was now
+perfectly dry.  Trees grew on the upper edges, and the sides were
+covered with brushwood.  It appeared, as far as we could judge in the
+uncertain light of the evening, to be a place well suited for our
+purpose; and we accordingly hunted about till we found a spot where we
+could light a fire and lie down to rest.  This was not very easy, but at
+length we discovered a small open space covered with grass.  Gale cut
+away the bushes round it, and piling up some in the centre, we lighted a
+fire.  The flames, as they burned up, showed us the wild character of
+the place we were in.  Dark rocks appeared here and there among the
+brushwood, and tall trees towered above our heads, effectually screening
+the light of our fire from any persons who might by chance have been in
+our neighbourhood.
+
+We boiled our cocoa, and parched our heads of Indian corn, and then
+prepared to rest.
+
+"We might be worse off; and so, mates, I don't think we've any cause to
+complain," observed Ned Gale as he surveyed our abode.
+
+This was a favourite expression of his; and he was always contented,
+whatever happened.  I felt grateful; for though our prospects for the
+future were uncertain, we were at all events at liberty, with a fair
+chance of escaping our enemies.  Ned Gale had a little black pipe which
+he prized much, and a small supply of tobacco, which he husbanded with
+the greatest care.  He lighted his pipe, and sat over the fire enjoying
+his smoke in silence.
+
+As usual, we took it by turns to watch and to keep our fire alight.
+Pedro and Ned Gale had been sleeping for some time, when, finding that
+the fire required feeding, I rose to put some more sticks upon it.  As
+the flames burst forth more brightly than before, their light shone on
+the high branches of the trees, when, happening to look up, I saw just
+above as a face peering down from among the foliage.  It seemed to be
+watching us very attentively; the owner fancying, probably, from his
+position, that he was unobserved.  As he put his head more forward to
+get a better sight of us, I saw that he was an old black man with a
+white head; and immediately it struck me that he was employed as a scout
+to watch us by the Spaniards.  My first impulse was to rouse my
+companions.
+
+"Ned Gale, Ned Gale," I sung out, "the Spaniards are after us I am
+afraid."
+
+He sprung to his feet, and looking anxiously around, grasped one of his
+pistols, like a man ever ready to encounter danger.
+
+"Where are they?" he asked.  "I don't see them."
+
+"There, there," I answered, pointing at the trees.
+
+He and Pedro turned their eyes in the direction I indicated.  There was
+now not only one negro looking at us, but several black faces, encircled
+with white hair, appeared among the branches.  Instead of flying from
+our supposed enemies, they both burst into fits of laughter.
+
+"Those Spaniards?  Why, they are monkeys," exclaimed Ned.  "Ha, ha, ha!
+Now, if I could bring one of them down, he might serve us for dinner
+to-morrow."
+
+I could not help joining in his laughter, though I had no fancy for
+eating a monkey.  He threw up a piece of stick with all his force.  It
+missed its aim, and served to send the whole troop scampering away,
+uttering mournful howls, to a distance, where they for some time kept up
+a concert, which effectually banished sleep.
+
+When the monkeys had ceased howling, Pedro began his watch, and I tried
+to obtain some rest.  Ned Gale, with his sailor habits, very quickly was
+lost in the land of dreams; but I was not so fortunate.  I saw that
+Pedro was reading, and I did not wish to interrupt him.  He every now
+and then shut his book and looked about him.  He appeared to me to be on
+the watch in expectation of some threatened danger.  At last I gave up
+the attempt to sleep as hopeless.  There was something in the air of the
+place, I believe, which affected me.  My young companion had been
+sitting for some minutes lost in meditation.
+
+"What are you thinking about, Pedro?"  I asked.
+
+"Of my father and mother," he answered, with a sigh.
+
+"Why, I thought you never knew them," I observed.
+
+"I have often dreamed of them though," he said.  "Do you know, Senor
+David, that I sometimes fancy I may some day discover them.  Had I the
+means of becoming educated as you are, and of obtaining a fortune, I
+would employ it in searching for them."
+
+"If we succeed in getting to England, I am sure my friends, in gratitude
+to you, will put you in the way of making your fortune," I replied.
+"But I own I cannot see how this will enable you to find your parents,
+without any clue to guide you."
+
+"God, if He thinks fit, will point out the way," he answered.  "I put my
+trust in Him."
+
+I could say no more.  This idea had, I found, become the absorbing one
+of his mind.
+
+"If my parents live, He too will show me the means through which I may
+discover them," I thought.
+
+I had never yet been thoroughly convinced of their loss.  I was
+perfectly helpless I knew, and I felt forcibly that on Him alone could I
+place my trust.  The feeling brought comfort and consolation; and lying
+down again, a soothing sleep soon stole over me.
+
+I was aroused by a shout from Ned Gale, who had taken Pedro's place.  I
+started up, and found the sailor with his pistol in one hand and his
+long stick in the other, about to spring into the thicket beyond us.
+The fire was almost extinguished, and daylight was appearing.  I looked
+round for Pedro.  To my horror he was nowhere to be seen.
+
+"Where is the young Spaniard?"  I exclaimed.
+
+"Follow me," answered Ned, rushing forward.
+
+I seized a lighted branch, and with my stick in the other hand, I leaped
+after him.  A shriek of terror and agony, which I could not doubt
+proceeded from Pedro, served to guide us.  It was followed by a savage
+roar.
+
+"Save me! save me!" he shrieked.
+
+A movement in the bushes showed us more certainly where he was.
+
+"A wild beast has got hold of the poor fellow!" shouted Ned, bending the
+bushes before him as he hurried on.
+
+The branch I held in my hand was of a resinous nature, and burned
+brightly.  It light showed us in a clear space, under a wide spreading
+shrub, poor Pedro on the ground, with a large jaguar standing over him.
+The attention of the savage animal had been attracted by our approach,
+and he stood glaring fiercely, uncertain whether to carry off his prey
+or spring at us.  Ned was afraid of firing, lest we should miss the
+jaguar and hit Pedro.  My torch was of more service than his pistol.  I
+saw in a moment that the only chance of saving my friend was to frighten
+the beast, so, thoughtless of the clanger to myself, I sprung towards
+him, and dashed the burning brand in his face.  I believe I almost
+blinded him.  With a roar, denoting pain and terror, he sprang on one
+side, when Ned rushed in, and dragged Pedro away from him.
+
+"Fire--now fire," I shouted to Ned, thinking the jaguar was about to
+close with us.
+
+He lifted his pistol and fired.  He was so close that the ball entered
+the beast's head, and, giving a bound forward, he fell to the ground
+struggling in mortal agonies.  Once again he rose to his feet and
+attempted to seize me; but my torch turned him aside, and before he
+could reach me he rolled over, and in another instant he was dead.  I
+looked anxiously to see if Pedro was much hurt, or rather I scarcely
+expected to find him alive.  At that moment a bright light burst forth,
+and I saw to my dismay that the bushes round us were in a fierce blaze.
+Ned was carrying Pedro in his arms, and dashing through the bushes
+towards the place where we had rested.
+
+"After me, mate, after me," he cried.
+
+I did require to be told to hurry, for the flames were leaping up from
+all the surrounding shrubs, and climbing many of the higher trees.  I
+overtook him before we reached our encampment.
+
+"Pick up our traps and come along," shouted Ned, as he made his way
+towards the path by which we entered the glen.  I stopped at our bivouac
+and collected our packages of provisions, and our other property.  Just
+as I was coming away, my eye fell on Ned's knife.  I put it in my
+pocket, and was looking to see if I could find any other article, when
+the flames caught hold of the surrounding bushes, and warned me to beat
+a retreat.  They crackled and hissed and roared in my rear as I ran on.
+A light breeze had sprung up, and blew them towards us.  Fortunately the
+bright light they caused enabled us to see our way, or we should have
+had great difficulty in escaping from the glen.
+
+Heavy as Pedro was, Ned bore him like a child up the rough ascent.  The
+fire flew from shrub to shrub, and extended in every direction; the
+smoke, too, increased in denseness, and almost stifled us.  I could
+scarcely breathe, and expected every moment to sink from exhaustion; but
+the brave sailor was not to be daunted.  Crying out to me to follow, he
+pushed on over all impediments.  I kept close to him, and in a few
+minutes, which seemed an age, we reached the more level ground above the
+dell.  Ned stopped for an instant to gather breath, but before I had
+time to discover more than that Pedro still breathed, we were compelled
+to continue our flight, not only by the approach of the smoke and
+flames, but by a new danger.  The jaguar we had killed was not the only
+inhabitant of the glen of his species, and as the path we had taken was
+the chief outlet in that direction, a number of animals of all
+descriptions came rushing out close to us.  I had turned my head to look
+at the blazing furnace below us, when, to my dismay, I saw close behind
+me a huge animal, which I at once guessed was a female jaguar, followed
+by several cubs.  I cried out to Ned to hurry on with his burden, and
+swinging my stick about me, I dealt her a heavy blow on the head, which
+appeared somewhat to astonish her.  At any other time she would probably
+quickly have avenged the insult; but, frightened by the flames, she
+merely uttered a growl of anger and turned on one side, followed by her
+hopeful progeny.  We did not halt again till we reached a rocky mound,
+free from grass or shrubs, to which we had hopes the fire would not
+approach.
+
+It was now almost daylight, though the blazing dell afforded us ample
+light to see our way.  Ned laid Pedro down, and we anxiously examined
+his wounds.  His side and one of his arms, by which the jaguar had
+lifted him, were dreadfully torn, but we could discover no marks of the
+brute's teeth.  He was senseless, but this we hoped was caused more by
+terror and pain than from any mortal injury.  We neither of us possessed
+any knowledge of surgery, so we had only our own sense to point out what
+was best to be done; and in truth we had but little time for
+consideration, for the flames were already spreading beyond the glen,
+and might soon approach our retreat.
+
+"We must wash the poor fellow's hurts, and bind them up to stop the
+bleeding," said Ned.  "Where's the water, mate?"
+
+We had a little left in our skin bottle, and pouring out some of it on
+my handkerchief, I wiped away the blood.  My shirt, I remembered, was
+fortunately of linen.
+
+"Here," I exclaimed to Gale, "just tear off the sleeves for me; they
+will serve for bandages."
+
+With a seaman's promptness he did as I proposed, and we bound up the
+places where he was hurt, in a fashion which perhaps might not quite
+have satisfied a surgeon, though we performed the operation as well as
+time would allow.  Our patient had now began to recover, and after
+drinking a little water, he sat up and looked around with a gaze of
+amazement on the strange scene below us.  The fire in the glen was
+raging furiously, and sending up dark columns of smoke to the sky.
+Animals of all descriptions were rushing forth from the conflagration,
+too terrified to take any notice of us.  Three or four fierce jaguars,
+with terrible howlings, dashed by, followed by several huge serpents,
+who crawled, hissing, along over the ground, disturbed from their abodes
+among the roots of the trees.  A troop of monkeys ran chattering away;
+and parrots and birds innumerable flew over our heads, driven from their
+long accustomed homes.
+
+"It won't do for us to remain here much longer," observed Ned.  "Ask the
+young Spaniard how he feels, and whether he thinks he can get along."
+
+In reply Pedro answered me that he was able to walk, though it was not
+without difficulty that he lifted himself from the ground.  However, as
+it was absolutely necessary for us to proceed on our journey, Ned and I,
+supporting him between us, began to descend the rock.  There was,
+fortunately, a sandy track, free from grass, of considerable extent, on
+one side, across which we proposed to proceed.  Ned had loaded his
+pistols, and we each of us kept our sticks in our hands, ready to defend
+ourselves from any of the wild beasts which might venture to attack us.
+The fire continued raging fiercely on our right as we hurried on, and we
+watched it with intense anxiety, to see whether it was advancing towards
+us.  Had it taken place on the open prairies, which cover many portions
+of the continent, our escape would have been impossible.  As it was, our
+chance was at times doubtful.  By ourselves we might have run for our
+lives; but our wounded companion impeded us, and I would have sacrificed
+myself sooner than have quitted him.  The ground which we were then
+traversing was composed chiefly of rock and sand, but there was enough
+dry grass growing on it, should it catch fire, to scorch us very much,
+if not to destroy us; and ahead, for some distance, it grew much
+thicker; while beyond again there appeared a wide extent of sandy soil,
+which, if we could once reach, we should probably be in safety.  As the
+sun rose, the wind shifted to a quarter which blew the flames more
+rapidly than heretofore towards us.  Ned and I exerted ourselves to the
+utmost to drag on poor Pedro, who was not so well aware of our danger.
+Onward, in the shape of a wedge, advanced the devouring flames with the
+sharp point first.  This gradually thickened, spreading out on either
+side.  Now a rock or a sandy patch intervened, but they leaped over all
+impediments, the long dry grass catching fire from the sparks which,
+like a vast courier of destruction, were borne forward by the breeze.  I
+looked at Ned to learn from his looks what chance he thought we had of
+escaping, but his countenance did not betray the slightest sign of fear
+or doubt.  The fire, it must be understood, had, in consequence of the
+direction the wind had before blown in our rear, been driven in a
+straight line on our right a considerable distance in advance of us; and
+now, from the wind blowing from our right, it was taking a course
+directly across the path we were anxious to pursue.  On our left the
+ground was covered with dry grass and underwood, so that we dared not to
+venture across it.  The only course left us was, therefore, directly
+ahead.
+
+"I am sorry we left the rock," said I, as we hurried on.
+
+"We should have been fried brown by this time, if we had remained on
+it," answered Ned, giving a glance over his shoulder.  "Why, mate, the
+flames are dancing round it as merrily as waves in a storm.  Cheer up:
+we shall do well yet."
+
+Taking courage from him, I pushed on with renewed hope.  But this did
+not last long.  Every moment the fire got nearer and nearer; and already
+it seemed to me that the path before us was cut off.  By running very
+fast we might perhaps get across; but with Pedro to help along, I
+thought we could not do it.  I felt that I could not leave the poor
+fellow, and resolved to remain by him, and perish with him if so it must
+be; but I saw no reason why the brave seaman should share our fate, when
+he might easily save himself.
+
+"Ned," I cried, when we had reached a spot somewhat more free from grass
+than the surrounding ground, "run for it, my good fellow, and save
+yourself.  I cannot leave my friend, for I owe him much; but he has no
+claim whatever upon you.  Fly! fly!"
+
+"What, mate?  I should be a pretty sort of a seaman if I was to do as
+you say," he exclaimed, stopping for a moment to address me.  "He's a
+fellow-creature in distress, and that's enough for Ned Gale, I hope.
+Run--ha! ha!  Here, just lift him up on my back, and we'll see what can
+be done."
+
+It was the work of a moment to do as he bid me; and throwing me his
+knapsack, Ned, with Pedro on his shoulders, set off running, and I after
+him, as fast as our legs would carry us.  I had before remarked the
+great strength Ned possessed when he chose to exert it.  He now bore
+Pedro along as if he had been a child.  Away we dashed right into the
+belt of tall grass, one end of which, not many hundred yards' distant,
+was already burning.  The fire came hissing along towards us like a
+fiery serpent.  Ned glanced at it over his shoulder, and increased his
+exertions.  He saw that not a moment could be spared.  As I saw it
+coming on, I almost shrieked with a terror I had never before felt; and
+had I been alone I think I should have fallen.  The fire was close upon
+us.  There was a slight rise in the ground.  We rushed up it.  I thought
+that our doom was sealed, when, to my joy, I discovered that I had been
+deceived by the rise as to the width of the belt of grass.  A few yards
+only of grass had to be passed, when beyond appeared the sandy plain,
+without a particle of herbage on it.  We felt the heat of the fire--the
+flames were upon us.  We dashed through the intervening space of grass,
+and ran on for a hundred yards before Ned thought of stopping.
+
+"Here, mate!" he said at last.  "Help the poor fellow down, and hand me
+a drop of water.  It's hot work, but we have escaped a frying this time
+at all events."
+
+We put Pedro on the ground, and then, as he insisted on walking, we
+moved on a little further, and sat down by him to watch the progress of
+the conflagration.  It quickly worked its way across the belt we had
+passed across; and then the scrub beyond towards the mountain caught
+fire and blazed up furiously, extending far away to the east, till the
+whole country before us seemed one mass of flame.  Had it been night it
+would have been magnificent, but we were truly glad that it was day,
+that we might more easily see our road.
+
+"Well, I hope there are no poor people's farms in that direction, or any
+Indians hiding away, for the fire doesn't seem inclined to spare them,"
+said Ned.  "And now, mates, let's have some prog; we've a long day's
+journey before us, and have had a sharp morning's work."
+
+We took our frugal meal, and then seeing that Pedro required some rest,
+we made him lie down for half an hour before we recommenced our journey.
+
+"I'm thinking, mate, that this fire will be bringing some Indians down
+to look at it," observed Ned, as we walked on.  "If they are friends
+they will be welcome, as they will help to carry our poor friend here.
+Howsomdever, `it's an ill wind that blows no one good,' and, to my mind,
+if any Spaniards are on our track they won't much like crossing that
+little bit of blaze astern, till we are pretty well out of their reach."
+
+I agreed with him that I should much like to meet any friendly Indians.
+We had another reason for being anxious to do so, as our provisions were
+running short, and, at the slower rate we were now compelled to travel,
+would scarcely last us till we could reach that part of the country
+where I expected to find some of Manco's followers.  With regard to the
+Spaniards harming us, I did not think they would venture so far; but
+should they have done so, the fire would afford us a better chance of
+escape, and prevent their dreadful bloodhounds from scenting out our
+track.  Pedro bore up manfully in spite of the pain he suffered from his
+hurts.  From the very temperate life he had led, his blood was cool and
+healthy, and no inflammation set in; which I was afraid would have been
+the case.  If people would but remember the great importance of
+temperance, and would avoid strong drinks, and take only a moderate
+portion of meat, they would escape much suffering from wounds and
+injuries to which all are liable, and which in so many cases prove
+fatal, although no vital part has been touched.  I have seen the
+strongest men die from a slight scratch; and the weakest apparently
+recover from the most terrible hurts.  The strong men have eaten and
+drunk to gratify their palates; the weak have eaten food to live.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
+
+FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA--MANCO AGAIN.
+
+We had for two days been travelling through a wild and mountainous
+country, skirting the base of the Cordilleras, which served as our
+guide, and looking out for a pass known to Pedro, by which we might
+cross them.  Our provisions were expended, though we had frequent
+opportunities of replenishing our water-skins, which enabled us the
+better to support our fatigue.  For some distance we passed over a
+portion of the great high road of the Incas, which led from Cuzco to
+Quito; and as it was no longer used by the Spaniards, we had no fear of
+encountering them.  It was far superior to any of the modern roads, and
+showed the high state of civilisation to which the Peruvians had arrived
+in those days.  It was from about twenty-five to thirty feet broad, and
+paved with large flat stones.  At intervals of about twelve paces I
+observed rows of smaller stones, laid horizontally and slightly elevated
+thus making the road ascend gradually by a succession of terraces or
+steps.  On each side of the road there was a low parapet wall of small
+stones.  When I remembered that this gigantic and finished piece of work
+extended for many hundred miles, from one end of the dominions of the
+Incas to the other, I felt greater regret than ever that the country had
+been wrested from them by a people who had so cruelly neglected its many
+advantages.
+
+By the side of the road, situated on hillocks within sight of each
+other, were small edifices, where the messengers who promulgated the
+commands of the Incas throughout the country were stationed.  A signal
+was made whenever a messenger left one of the stations, and one from the
+next met him half way and received the despatch, which was then
+forwarded from successive stations till it reached its destination.  We
+arrived towards the evening at one of these station-houses (many of
+which still remain in tolerable repair); and, as a storm was
+threatening, we resolved to make it our abode for the night.  It was a
+small, low, round tower, but the roof was wanting, which was our first
+care to supply.  For this purpose Ned and I tore off and cut down a
+number of branches from the trees which grew near; and finding, in a
+hollow some way down the hill, a pool with rushes growing round it, we
+collected a sufficient supply to aid materially in forming a thatch.  We
+left Pedro meantime to clean the floor, and to light a fire, though we
+only had some cocoa and a little Indian corn to cook by it.
+
+Returning with our materials, we placed the boughs across the top of the
+walls, with the rushes in the form of a rude cone verging from the
+centre above them.  I then collected a number of stones, with which the
+road supplied us, and handing them up to Ned, he put them on the thatch
+to prevent its being blown away.  Our work being speedily concluded, for
+Ned had a very systematic way of doing everything, I bethought me of
+collecting some more rushes to form a bed for Pedro.  I was hurrying
+down for the purpose, when on my way I observed between the trees the
+walls of a building, standing on a level plot of ground.  I called to
+Ned, and we set off together to examine it, for it struck me it was a
+small farm belonging to _mestizos_ or Indians.  We soon reached it, and
+I found I was not mistaken.  The inhabitants had lately fled, the roof
+was off the hut, and the maize crop had been reaped.  We were at first
+without hopes of benefiting by our discovery; but as I was looking
+about, I observed a fig-tree with some ripe figs on it, which I at once
+collected; and on further search, Ned espied a herd of guinea-pigs
+nestling under the walls.  To knock some of the little animals on the
+head, was the work of a minute.  We would gladly have exchanged some of
+them for corn, but just as we were about to return to our tower, I
+discovered a few ears of maize still standing close to a wall.  With
+much satisfaction I gathered all I could find.  We had still more good
+fortune in store.  Close to the front I caught sight of a she-goat with
+a young kid by her side.  She had been a pet of the family, I suppose,
+for she did not run away from us.  Ned at once caught the kid, and
+carrying it in his arms, the mother came after it to our hut.
+
+"I haven't the heart to kill the little animal," he observed; "but I'll
+tell you what, mate, the mother shall give the young Don a bowl of milk.
+It will do him more good than all the doctor's stuff in the world."
+
+Pedro could scarcely believe his senses when he saw us returning with
+our valuable prizes.  We had now a supply of food to last us for many
+days, and we might, if we thought fit, remain and rest till Pedro was
+better able to proceed.  We soon had a guinea-pig skinned and roasting
+before the fire; and then Ned caught the goat, and, acting the part of a
+milk-maid, filled a tin jug with milk, which he insisted on Pedro
+swallowing.  The figs were very fine, and after the coarse food on which
+we had so long lived, we found them most grateful to our palates.  As we
+sat round our fire, in spite of the smoke, we felt ourselves in the
+enjoyment of abundance of luxury.  Our fire-place was composed of a few
+stones; some others served us for seats.  Our meat was somewhat tough,
+and we were without salt.  Parched maize served us for bread, and our
+beverage was cold water, while our beds were composed of rushes and
+leaves sprinkled on the bare ground; but this was more than we had
+enjoyed for some time, and we had walls to protect us from the night
+breeze, and a roof to keep out the rain.  Pedro and I were not merry,
+for we had too much cause for painful reflection.  But we were
+contented, and Ned Gale declared that he was as happy as a prince--that
+he had weathered on the Dons, and had the prospect of a long cruise on
+shore.  He fastened the kid up within our tower, but the old she-goat
+was turned out, as we knew that she would not stray far from her young
+one.  It had not long been dark when the storm we had observed broke
+over our heads.  The thunder rattled, the lightning flashed, and the
+rain came down in torrents; but though a good deal found its way through
+the roof, we were able to pick out dry spots for our beds, and we had
+cause to be thankful that we were under shelter of any sort.  As our
+abode also had stood for so many centuries, we had no fear of being
+washed away.  We had collected a supply of stones to block up the lower
+part of the entrance; and with some boughs in addition we constructed a
+door, which was sufficient, we thought, to keep out any wild beasts or
+other intruders.  Before turning in, we cut the flesh off the other
+guinea-pigs, and smoked it over the fire; and we also parched a supply
+of maize, in case we should be unable to prepare it on any future
+occasion.  Notwithstanding the tempest which was raging outside, we
+slept very soundly, Ned and I keeping alternate watches, for we were
+anxious to give Pedro as much rest as possible.  Ned insisted on taking
+the first watch; and when he awoke me, I found that the greater part of
+the night had passed away.  I expostulated with him on making me take
+less than my share of watching.
+
+"Never mind, mate," he replied; "you are young, and want sleep.  I'm
+accustomed to do with very little, do you see.  Often's the time, for a
+month on a stretch, I've not had more than three or four hours out of
+the four-and-twenty, and have been roused up to shorten sail two or
+three times between them."
+
+The storm had passed away, and when I put my head out through the
+branches which formed the door of our abode, I saw that the stars were
+shining brightly in the deep blue sky.  As I stood there inhaling the
+fresh breeze, that I might the more easily keep myself awake, I saw a
+dark object emerge from among the trees, and stop, as if looking
+cautiously around.  It was standing in the shade, and at first I thought
+it was an Indian, though what his intention could be I could not divine.
+Presently he came more into the road, and advanced towards the tower,
+when I saw, to my no little dismay, that he was an enormous black bear.
+He had probably, I thought, scented us out; and I fully expected a visit
+from him.  I did not like to arouse Ned; but I took up one of his
+pistols which lay on his knapsack, and held it in my hand ready to give
+the gentleman a warm reception, should he venture to put his snout into
+the tower.  On he came, waddling at a great rate down the road.
+
+"He is certainly coming," I thought.  "Now, if I miss him, he will give
+me a hug I shall not like."
+
+I cocked my pistol, and kept my stick ready to give him a poke in the
+eye, which would keep him at bay till Ned could jump up to my
+assistance.  He stopped for an instant, and gave a low growl: his
+instinct probably told him that some enemies were near.  I drew back a
+little, lest he should catch the glimmer of my eye.  Then he again
+advanced quicker than before.  He soon came so close to me that I felt
+almost certain that I could hit him; but still as I thought I might only
+wound him and make him savage, I did not like to fire.  I scarcely dared
+to breathe or move.  He passed on down the hill, and I again breathed
+freely.  Presently I heard him give another growl, and directly
+afterwards I saw him waddling back again at a leisurely pace with
+something in his paws.  As he went by the tower, I perceived that it was
+the unfortunate she-goat, whose kid we had fastened within.  I was
+determined, if I could not save the poor goat's life, at all events to
+deprive Master Bruin of his supper, and calling out to Ned, I dashed
+through the boughs in pursuit of him.  It was hazardous work I own, but
+I had not a moment for thought.  Had I, probably I should have acted
+more wisely.  Ned was on his feet in a moment, and with his pistol in
+his hand in pursuit of the bear.  Bruin saw us coming, but showed no
+inclination to relinquish his prey.  He ran on at a great rate, and it
+was some time before we overtook him.  Even when we were close to him,
+he continued his flight, apparently taking no notice of us.
+
+"Whatever you do, don't fire, mate, before he shows his face!" exclaimed
+Ned.  "Give him a poke in the neck; it will make him turn perhaps."
+
+I accordingly gave him a plunge with my stick, keeping, however, beyond
+the reach of his paws should he turn suddenly round.  Even this did not
+make him stop, so I gave him another dig, which at last brought him to
+bay, though he still kept hold of the goat.  Immediately he faced about.
+Ned fired his pistol, aiming at his eye.  The ball took effect, and,
+with a growl of fury, the beast rushed at us, at the same time dropping
+the goat.  On this we retreated down the road, repenting not a little of
+our folly in having attacked him.  Seeing that the bear had received no
+mortal injury, Ned snatched the other pistol from my hand, and waited
+steadily till the bear got within arm's length of him.  I trembled for
+his safety, but resolved not to let him stand the brunt of the combat
+alone.  I made a desperate charge with my stick.  This distracted the
+attention of Bruin, who seized hold of my stick, and at the same moment
+Ned fired.  The ball hit him, I saw, but was afraid had not mortally
+wounded him, for, with a loud growl, he sprung upon my companion.  Ned,
+however, was on the alert, and leaped nimbly on one side, as I did on
+the other, and the brute fell headlong over on his snout.  We could not
+help giving a shout of triumph at our victory, which made Pedro, who had
+been awakened by the shots, hurry up to us, wondering what was the
+matter.  We were not quite certain that our foe was really dead; but a
+few pokes with our sticks at length convinced us that he was so, and we
+therefore ventured to examine him.  The ball from the last shot had hit
+him in the eye, and entered his brain.
+
+"Some bear steaks won't be bad things," observed Ned.  "Now mates, let's
+look after the goat.  I had made sure of a cup of milk for Pedro this
+morning."
+
+We found the goat a little way off, but Bruin had hugged the breath out
+of its body, and it was dead.  Pedro and I thereon dragged the goat
+close to the hut, while Ned was employed in cutting the proposed steaks
+out of the bear.
+
+"You see, mates, it won't do to leave the work for the morning, for
+before that time the condors, the jaguars, and the pumas will be down
+upon him, and tear every scrap of meat from his bones," he remarked.  "I
+wish he had been rather farther off, for the beasts will keep up such a
+concert that we shan't be able to sleep much more to-night."
+
+When he had finished operating on the bear, he began on his victim,
+observing that though goats' flesh was somewhat strong, it would serve
+to make a variety in our provisions.  We had now more meat than we could
+well carry, in addition to which, as the kid could not live without its
+mother, we were obliged to sacrifice that also.  On re-entering our
+abode, Pedro and I employed ourselves in cutting the meat into slips and
+drying it before the fire, while Ned again laid down to obtain his share
+of rest.  Pedro told me that the species of hear we had killed lived
+chiefly on fruits and vegetables, and that he often commits great
+ravages in the maize-fields of the Indians, by breaking off the green
+tops and carrying them away to his hole in the mountains; but when he
+cannot obtain that sort of food, he will catch deer and wild boars, and
+will even attack the oxen employed in the sugar-mills on the
+plantations.  He has also been known, when pressed by hunger, to assail
+solitary travellers in the mountains.
+
+In the morning, when we went out of our tower, we saw that several
+condors had been attracted by the carcase of the bear, and were tearing
+it to pieces.  They flapped their huge wings, and glared fiercely at us
+with their red eyes as we watched them; but did not quit their banquet,
+from which we had no wish to disturb them.  After a hearty breakfast,
+with renewed spirits and confidence we proceeded on our way.  I have not
+space to recount all our adventures, and must for the future describe
+only those which were the most interesting.
+
+We climbed mountains, and traversed glens, and crossed torrents by the
+bridges I have often mentioned; and yet, day after day, not a human
+being did we meet.  Of course we kept as much as possible at a distance
+from their habitations; but the few farms we passed were deserted, and
+we had no doubt that the women and children had been removed to more
+secluded spots, while the men had gone to join the army of Tupac Amaru.
+
+A week had passed, and we were resting to take our midday meal, in a
+sheltered glen, under the shade of some lofty trees.  Pedro,
+notwithstanding the exertions he had undergone, had almost recovered
+from his hurts; and I never felt myself in better health and strength,
+while Ned scarcely knew what fatigue or illness meant.  Our provisions
+had again run short, though we had collected a little Indian corn at
+some of the deserted farms we had passed.
+
+"Well," said Ned, who had lighted his pipe and stretched himself out on
+his back, "I shan't be sorry when we get to the big river you speak of.
+Walking is very pleasant exercise, especially when one hasn't half a
+hundredweight of traps and provisions to carry; but it's very slow work
+you'll allow.  I like to spank along with a ten-knot breeze across the
+open ocean, with studden-sails alow and aloft; or to glide down a river
+with a strong current and fair breeze.  Ah, mate, if you ever come to
+sea with me in a smart craft, you'll know what moving fast means."
+
+I told him that I should like nothing better, and that I longed to begin
+our voyage down the Amazon; but that I must first communicate with my
+Indian friends, to learn if they had gained any tidings of my parents;
+for still I clung to the hope that they might have escaped destruction.
+Pedro also was unwilling to leave the country without again seeing his
+friends.  We were all talking very eagerly about our proposed plans,
+when a loud yell made us start to our feet, and, looking up, we saw a
+number of Indians posted on the heights above us.  Some had bows, with
+their arrows ready drawn to shoot us; and others had slings in their
+hands, which they were whirling round with heavy stones, prepared to
+hurl at our heads.  In another moment we should have had a shower of
+deadly missiles rattling about us, when Pedro, rushing towards them,
+shouted out, in the Quichua language, that we were friends of the Inca.
+In an instant the arrows were withdrawn and the slings ceased to whirl,
+and the Indians came hurrying down the sides of the mountain.  In
+another minute we found ourselves surrounded by a large band of
+warriors.  They examined us attentively, not being able to make out who
+we could be, though the words spoken by Pedro proved that we were not
+enemies.  Ned Gale, especially, caused them much surprise, for they
+certainly had never seen a human being like him before.  When their
+chief arrived, he listened to the account Pedro gave him, and replied
+that though he had no doubt it was correct, we must accompany him to the
+presence of the Inca and his chiefs, who were encamped at the distance
+of some days' journey.
+
+"I suppose it's all right, mates," observed Ned, when I told him what
+had been said.  "For my part, I'm ready to go and see this new king of
+the Injuns, as they call him; and if he's an honest chap, and wants a
+helping hand, why I'm ready to give it him.  Just you tell them that."
+
+I did not exactly translate Ned's message; but I told the Indians that
+we were anxious to see the Inca, and would be happy to be of any service
+to him in our power.
+
+The Indians were, I found, on their way to join the army; and as they
+wished to continue their march, they desired us to pack up our traps and
+accompany them.  They looked upon us, I found, somewhat in the light of
+prisoners; though of this we had no reason to complain, as they were
+naturally suspicious of strangers, who might act as spies on their
+movements.  We were treated kindly, but were narrowly watched whenever
+the party halted to rest.  Though not better equipped, they were far
+more civilised than most of the tribes who composed the army of Tupac
+Catari; and they marched with some regularity, and took all necessary
+precautions to guard against surprise.  We learned from them that the
+Spaniards, having recovered from the alarm into which they had been
+thrown at the commencement of the outbreak, were collecting in
+considerable force in the neighbourhood of Cuzco, to defend that city
+from an attack which Tupac Amaru was threatening to make on it.
+
+"It matters not," observed the cacique, who was my informant.  "The more
+who collect, the greater number of our foes shall we overwhelm with one
+blow."
+
+I ventured to doubt this; but he replied--
+
+"Stay till you see the army of the Inca, and try to number our
+standards; then tell me if you think the white faces can withstand
+them."
+
+I thought it better not to dwell on the subject, for fear of irritating
+the chief; but I recalled to my memory the handful of Spaniards who
+conquered the well-trained armies of the Inca Atahualpa, and had little
+hope for the success of his descendant, Tupac Amaru, with his host of
+undisciplined levies; though doubtlessly their opponents had greatly
+degenerated from the hardy warriors who fought under Pizarro.
+
+As it was necessary to supply food for the army, and we were passing
+through a part of the country where the vicunas abounded, the party
+halted to engage in a grand hunt, which is termed a _chacu_.  About two
+hundred men were told off for this purpose; some remaining encamped, and
+others being sent as scouts, to the rear, to ascertain that no Spaniards
+were following us.  Pedro, Ned, and I were invited by the cacique to
+accompany him.  Half the party were supplied with weapons called
+_bolas_.  These _bolas_ were composed of three balls of lead or stone,
+at one end of as many long lines, formed of the twisted sinews of the
+vicuna, the opposite ends being fastened together.  One ball is rather
+lighter than the others, and when used, this is held in the hand, while
+the heavier ones are swung in a circle round the head.  When the Indian
+is about twenty paces from the object he wishes to strike, he lets go
+the lighter ball, and the weapon flies off, and the strings encircle in
+many folds the neck or legs of the animal.
+
+Besides the _bolas_, the party had procured from the neighbouring
+villages a quantity of rope and a number of stakes, and with them we
+repaired to an extensive, elevated plain, where many herds of vicunas
+were observed feeding.  Having selected a spacious level spot, the
+stakes were planted in the ground, at a distance of fifteen feet apart,
+and were connected together by the ropes about two feet and a half from
+the ground.  A circular space was thus formed, of perhaps a mile and a
+half in circumference, an opening of about two hundred paces being left
+to serve as an entrance.  Along the rope were fastened bits of coloured
+rags, which blew about in the breeze, and were intended to frighten the
+animals, and prevent them from leaping over the barrier.  This enclosure
+is properly called a _chacu_.  It being arranged, we withdrew, and
+breaking into a number of small parties, we formed a circle at a little
+distance apart from each other, and several miles across.  We then began
+to close, driving before us, with loud shouts, all the herds of vicunas
+we met with.  The men opposite the entrance advanced more slowly than
+the rest; and the timid animals, seeing the fluttering bits of cloth,
+ran before us with affright, till they reached the open space, when they
+darted into the _chacu_.  Some fifty vicunas were thus in a very short
+time collected, when the Indians, running among them, began throwing
+their _bolas_ with the greatest dexterity, never failing to entangle the
+legs of the game, which they speedily killed with their clubs or knives.
+Sometimes the Indians use the _bola_ on horseback; and I must remark
+that it requires great dexterity to do so with effect, as a clumsy
+person is very likely to twist the cords round his own neck or that of
+his steed, instead of the animal he is hunting.  As soon as the vicunas
+were killed, they were carried off to the camp to be skinned and cut up;
+and we then moved to a distance, to form a new _chacu_.  During three
+days, which we passed in the neighbourhood, we killed two hundred
+vicunas; and then, laden with their flesh, we continued our journey.
+
+The vicuna is a more beautiful animal than either the llama or the
+alpaca.  It is between them in size, measuring four feet from the ground
+to the top of the head, and two and a half feet from the ground to the
+shoulders.  The neck is longer and more slender; and the wool is finer,
+short, and curly.  The top of the head, neck, and back, and the thighs,
+are of a peculiar reddish hue; and the inner part of the limbs and the
+lower part of the neck are of a bright ochre colour; and the breast and
+lower part of the body is white.  Each herd consists of from six to
+fifteen females and one male, who, standing at a distance, acts the part
+of guardian, while the rest are grazing, and when danger approaches,
+gives a peculiar whistle and stamp of the foot.  The herd look, with
+outstretched necks, in the direction of the danger, and then take to
+flight, the male stopping every now and then to cover their retreat, and
+watch the movements of the enemy.  Should he be killed or wounded, the
+Indians declare that the females will gather round him in a circle, and
+uttering shrill cries of lamentation, will suffer themselves to be
+destroyed rather than desert him.
+
+As we proceeded on our march, we fell in with many other parties of
+Indians, advancing in the same direction; some of whom were of the
+savage tribes from the far interior, summoned to swell the host of the
+Inca.  Many of them were accompanied by troops of llamas, carrying
+provisions.  Some of these had bells hung round their necks, and were
+adorned with bows of ribbons at their ears.  They proceeded at a slow
+pace, carrying their long, graceful necks something like the camel, and
+gazing anxiously around on either side with their wild prominent eyes,
+to watch the movements of their guides, or to observe the appearance of
+the country.  They were of a variety of colours; brown, black, white,
+and pie-bald.  I may here remark that the extreme height of the animal,
+from the sole of the foot to the top of the head, is not more than four
+feet and from six to eight inches; and from the sole of the foot to the
+shoulder, rather under three feet.  Their frames are so slight that they
+will not carry a load of more than about seventy pounds weight; but they
+have the valuable qualification of being able to live many days, find
+even months, without drinking, owing to their power of generating saliva
+in their mouths.
+
+Other parties had mules for the same purpose.  Some were on horseback,
+and formed an irregular and very Scythian-like looking cavalry.  Several
+bands of those on foot were followed by their wives and children;
+showing that they felt confident of victory, and came prepared to take
+possession of the territories they hoped to conquer.  At length, after
+passing through a dark gorge, and climbing a steep acclivity, we once
+more began to descend; when, from the height on which we stood, we
+looked down upon the vast army of the Inca, collected on a plain, or
+rather wide valley, between ranges of lofty mountains.
+
+"What say you now?" exclaimed the cacique, with a look of triumph.  "Do
+the white faces dream of the mighty host collected to liberate for ever
+the kingdom of the Incas from their cruel hands?"
+
+"I have heard that it was prophesied that the kingdom of the Incas
+should be restored by the people of my country.  There are none of them
+there," I replied.
+
+"It is true," said the cacique.  "But if you and your bold friend were
+to fight by the side of the Inca, might not the prophecy be thus
+fulfilled?"
+
+I at once saw the mistake I had made in thus speaking; for I felt that I
+might be compelled, contrary to the advice my father had given me, to
+engage actively in a contest in which I had no personal interest.
+
+Before I had time to reply, the signal of advance was given, and the
+party hurried down the steep to join their comrades in the valley.  Far
+as the eye could reach in either direction, and even up the mountains
+sides, were extended the vast host of the Inca, drawn up in battle
+array.  From among their dusky lines arose a forest of waving banners,
+long lances, and battle-axes, tossing to and fro, and glittering in the
+rays of the noonday sun which shone down upon their heads.  At intervals
+might be seen rich panoplies of feather work and lofty plumes, marking
+the post of some leading cacique, or Inca noble.  Some way to the right,
+on a rising ground, rose the magnificent canopy under which the Inca
+Tupac Amaru was to be found, surrounded by his generals and nobles.
+
+As the march was about to commence, our conductors hurried us down the
+hill past the crowded ranks of the army, towards the spot where the Inca
+was stationed.  When a little distance off, he went forward alone, and
+prostrating himself before the monarch, announced the arrival of some
+captives.  The Inca immediately ordered us to be brought before him.  He
+was seated under the canopy on a cushioned throne, richly ornamented
+with gold; and on either side of him were ranged a dense mass of his
+chiefs and councillors, all dressed in garments similar to those worn by
+their ancestors.  Tupac Amaru himself was habited as tradition has
+described Atahualpa; and he wore as a crown the crimson _borla_, or
+fringe, which hung down as low as the eye-brow, and gave a very peculiar
+expression to his grave and handsome countenance.  I have before
+mentioned that he was a tall and dignified person; and he looked well
+worthy in every respect to be the sovereign of the assembled multitude.
+When he saw us he beckoned us to approach, and made inquiries of our
+conductor respecting us, not knowing that Pedro and I understood the
+Quichua language.  The cacique simply stated where he had found us, and
+replied that we could answer for ourselves.
+
+I begged Pedro to act as spokesman, and he gave a short account of our
+adventures, as well as of my history.  The Inca seemed much interested,
+and assured us of his protection; at the same time inviting us to
+accompany him in his march to lay siege to Cuzco.  Pedro in reply,
+having expressed our gratitude to the Inca, entreated to be allowed to
+remain behind, assuring the Inca that he was ready to lay down his life
+for the benefit of the Indians, but that the Spaniards were his
+countrymen and he could not fight against them.  The nobles who stood
+round seemed very much offended at this; but the Inca observing that he
+should consider the subject, turned to Ned and asked him what he would
+do.  I put the question to him in English.
+
+"Tell His Majesty, if it's to fight the Dons, I'll help him with all my
+heart," he at once replied.  "It comes natural like, and it won't be the
+first time I've been at blows with them.  I owe them a grudge, too, for
+killing as honest a fellow as ever stepped, and that was my late
+skipper.  Tell him all that, mate, and say I'm his man whenever he wants
+me."
+
+The Inca appeared much pleased at Ned's reply, which I interpreted; but
+he seemed less inclined to treat Pedro and me with favour.  My turn came
+next.  I own that I felt great reluctance to refuse fighting, and having
+no sufficient excuse to offer, was about to answer that I was ready to
+serve in any capacity the Inca might desire, when a loud shout was
+raised, and a fresh body of Indians was seen hurrying down the
+mountain's side.  A chief came at their head, and I looked towards him
+as the loud shouts of those around me gave him welcome.  I could
+scarcely believe my eyes.  It was my friend Manco!  I was certain of it;
+and forgetting the presence of the Inca and his nobles, I rushed forward
+to meet him.
+
+It was Manco in reality.  We clasped each other's hands, and for a time
+could scarcely speak.  He had thought me dead, or lingering in a Spanish
+prison, while I till now had been uncertain of his fate.  He told me
+that when he was led out to be shot, it had occurred to him that by
+keeping his eye on the soldiers he might drop as they fired, and allow
+the balls to fly over him; and that as he knew a number of Indians were
+collected on the other side of the river, by swimming across, they might
+assist him to escape.  He never lost his presence of mind, and watching
+for the moment the soldiers drew their triggers, he fell to the ground,
+instantly again springing up and flying to the river.  Before the smoke
+from the muskets had cleared away, he had plunged in and was swimming
+across.  Several bullets struck the water close to him, but landing
+uninjured, he and his friends set off towards the mountains as rapidly
+as they could proceed.  They were pursued by a strong body of Spanish
+soldiers, who followed them to their retreat.  It was several days
+before they could elude their enemies, and they had then marched through
+a number of Indian villages to collect recruits, before joining the
+army.
+
+After he had paid his respects to the Inca, he introduced Pedro and me
+as his friends, and we at once perceived that we were regarded in a more
+favourable light than before.  We accordingly obtained permission to
+remain with him; but as the Inca was desirous of having Ned to assist in
+working his artillery, several pieces of which were with their army, we
+very unwillingly were compelled to part from him.
+
+Manco having performed his public duties, now set out in search of his
+wife and child, whom he heard were with the women in the camp.  Notice
+had been given to Nita of his escape from death and safe return, and she
+with her infant was ready to receive him.  This meeting was very
+affecting; and as the brave warrior once more took his child in his
+arms, he wept over it for joy.  He could not, however, remain with her
+long, for his duties called him back to the army.
+
+"Pedro, my friend," he said, "I know you would not fight against your
+countrymen; to your charge, therefore, I commit my wife; watch over her,
+and guard her from danger.  If I fall, carry her and my child to a place
+of safety, and restore her, when times of peace again return, to her
+father and her people."
+
+Pedro with tears promised to obey his wishes.
+
+"And you, David, what will you do?" he asked.
+
+"I will accompany you," I replied, forgetting my former resolutions, and
+inspired with admiration for the gallant chieftain.  "I will fight by
+your side, and help to restore peace and prosperity to Peru."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
+
+SIEGE OF SARATA--CAPTURE OF TUPAC AMARU.
+
+We found the head quarters of the Inca established in an ancient castle,
+built of large hewn stones on the side of a mountain, and which, from
+its size and mode of construction, is still one of the wonders of Peru.
+Here he held his court, and was treated with all the honours due to a
+sovereign prince.  I was particularly struck with the amount of
+etiquette which was maintained, when I recollected that the Inca himself
+had, but a few months before, been living the life of a simple farmer,
+as had his chiefs and councillors, and that many of them had indeed been
+little better than slaves to the Spaniards.  Manco informed me that it
+had been resolved to despatch him with a force of ten thousand men to
+join a body of the same number under the command of Andres Tupac Amaru,
+the young son of the Inca, who was laying siege to Sarata, a large town
+not far from the lake of Titicaca; and he begged me to accompany him.  I
+was sorry to be separated from Ned Gale, but he said that the Inca had
+put the guns under his charge, and as they were not to go, he would
+stick by them.
+
+I was furnished with a very good horse, and took my place by the side of
+Manco.  The men being amply supplied with cacao every day, without
+apparent fatigue performed forced marches which would have completely
+knocked up any European troops.  As we advanced, we found that all the
+white inhabitants had fled and taken refuge in the town, where it was
+said twenty thousand people were collected.  My readers may be assured
+that my great object was, if possible, to mitigate the horrors which I
+dreaded would take place should my Indian friends prove successful.  On
+our arrival we found the young Andres closely investing the town, the
+inhabitants of which were already suffering from famine, though they had
+sternly refused to listen to a summons which had been sent in to them to
+surrender.  They had just before made a sortie, when the Indians had
+lost a number of men; but they were, after much desperate fighting,
+again compelled to retire within their trenches.  The Indians had taken
+several prisoners, among whom was a priest; and as soon as we arrived he
+was sent in with a second summons, containing offers of peace on such
+conditions as might be agreed on between commissioners to be appointed
+on both sides.  The young general, with Manco and other chiefs, were
+standing on a hill overlooking the town when the priest proceeded on his
+mission.
+
+"What is proposed to be done if the inhabitants refuse your terms?"  I
+asked.
+
+"Look there," he replied.  "You see that from the river which passes at
+a short distance from us, there is a deep ravine leading to the town,
+and somewhat lower than its banks.  By blocking up the course of the
+river, we propose to turn its waters into the ravine, when they will
+rush down and speedily flood the ramparts, and wash them away."
+
+I doubted the power of the Indians to perform this.
+
+"Think you not the descendants of those men who formed these great
+roads, and built the castles and palaces which still endure, can perform
+so small a task as that?" he replied.  "Wait, my friend, till you see."
+
+After a considerable delay the priest returned, and acknowledging that
+the inhabitants were reduced to feed upon mules, dogs, cats, and rats,
+said that they agreed to the proposed terms, with a truce of two days.
+During this time numbers of half-famished wretches were allowed freely
+to wander out and collect all the food they could from the Indians.  At
+the end of the time two officers of the garrison came out, and sent a
+message by the priest, stating that they were deputed to act as
+commissioners, and proposed that the enemy should retire to a distance,
+while the chiefs should meet them midway between the troops and the
+town.  No objection was made, and young Andres, Manco, and other chiefs,
+with about twenty followers, repaired to the proposed spot.  Scarcely
+had they arrived there than some of their sentinels, posted on a
+neighbouring hill overlooking the town, gave notice that the Spaniards
+were collecting in great force at the gates, and were evidently
+meditating a sortie to capture the chiefs.  On this the two Spaniards
+who were approaching the place of meeting, attempted to escape into the
+town; but the Indians intercepting them, cut them down as a strong party
+of the garrison rushed from the gates.  The chiefs, vowing vengeance for
+the meditated treachery, had barely time to retreat; their forces came
+hurrying up for their protection; and the siege once more commenced with
+greater activity than before.
+
+The Indians mustered nearly a thousand muskets, with which they kept up
+a hot fire on the trenches: besides which, they assailed the town with
+flights of arrows, showers of stones and burning darts, which set fire
+to many of the houses where they fell.  Still the town held out, and the
+leaders, anxious to proceed to other conquests, sent in a third summons
+to the garrison to surrender.  Another priest was the bearer.  I waited
+with much anxiety for his return, as the Indians had vowed to destroy
+all the inhabitants, should the town be taken after their offer had a
+third time been refused.  I was not, indeed, quite certain that, in case
+of a surrender, some of the chiefs and their followers did not meditate
+treachery.  They were, it must be remembered, ignorant savages, and on
+too many occasions the Spaniards had set them an example they were
+likely to imitate.
+
+I took my food each day with Manco on a hill overlooking the town, from
+whence a perfect view could be obtained of the whole scene of
+operations.  During the absence of the envoy hostilities had ceased, and
+the Indians had withdrawn to a distance from the trenches.  They now
+formed a circle round the town, their cavalry occupying every level
+space, and the infantry covering the surrounding hills with dense
+masses.  The river flowed calmly by; the valleys looked bright and
+smiling; and the town itself seemed wrapped in perfect repose.  Alas! it
+was the repose which precedes dissolution.  At length the priest was
+seen issuing from the gates, and taking his way with a sorrowful
+countenance towards the quarters of the young Indian general.  We
+immediately repaired there.  The inhabitants, mistrusting the Indians,
+as I concluded, refused to surrender.
+
+"Then their doom is sealed," said Andres; and forthwith gave orders to
+block up the course of the river, so as to direct it into the ravine
+communicating with the town.
+
+Several thousand men were employed day and night at this work, while the
+rest kept the besieged in play.  After two weeks' incessant labour, the
+works were declared complete, and the whole army prepared for a general
+assault.  I took up my usual post to watch the result, hoping for the
+sake of humanity that it might fail, but induce the inhabitants to
+submit.  At a given signal the embankments were knocked down, and the
+water in a vast torrent rushed towards the town, flooding the
+entrenchments and shaking the walls.  They, however, withstood the
+shock, and the brave defenders again returned to the shattered works
+from which they had been driven.  Once more the sluices were shut, and
+the inhabitants were left to fancy that the threatened danger had passed
+by.  The next morning, however, the Indians again surrounded the devoted
+town; in an increased volume the water was made to pass through the
+ravine, and sweeping onward in a terrific torrent, it rushed down upon
+the trenches and ramparts, carrying all before it.  The defenders fled
+in dismay from their posts; the signal for advance was given, and the
+Indians, led on by their fiercest chiefs, dashed through the
+newly-formed breach and entered the town.
+
+I would willingly draw a veil over the scene of horror which ensued.
+Little or no opposition was offered; but the spirit of vengeance was
+aroused, and not a man they encountered escaped.  Prayers and entreaties
+were disregarded--death was dealt on every side.  Those who attempted to
+fly were driven back; and of the twenty thousand persons who in the
+morning walked alive through the streets, women only and a few priests,
+and one or two laymen, who had taken refuge within the church, were
+spared.  I had earnestly entreated Manco to do his utmost to save the
+lives of those who offered no resistance, pointing out to him the policy
+of so doing; and through his means chiefly those few persons were
+preserved from destruction.  He had claimed some of them as his own
+property; and for their better protection they were brought to the hut
+he and I inhabited, on a hill a short distance from the town.
+
+Among them was a man whose deep dejection, and countenance and manners,
+deeply interested me.  Though his dress was soiled and bloody, I at once
+perceived that he was a gentleman.
+
+"Alas!" he said, "I have been the child of misfortune from my earliest
+clays.  Whenever any bright prospect has appeared before me, it has
+vanished ere I could enjoy it.  I married a wife; she was young and
+beautiful; but poverty oppressed us, and she had been accustomed to
+wealth and luxury.  A child was born to us, and I trusted it would
+reconcile her to our lot; but as we were travelling through the country,
+we were attacked by the Montoneros, and the infant, and the nurse who
+had charge of him, were carried away to the mountains and slain, for we
+could never again hear tidings of either of them.  For years I toiled on
+till I amassed a handsome fortune; but scarcely was it obtained, when
+death deprived me of my wife.  I had laid out my money in the purchase
+of an estate, in the cultivation of which I had resolved to employ
+myself till heaven should allow me to join my wife and child in another
+world, when this dreadful outbreak commenced, and reduced me to beggary.
+By a strange fate, though all my companions have been destroyed, I
+still am bound to life, which I would gladly have quitted."
+
+Don Gomez de Castro, I learned, was the prisoner's name.  Our
+conversation, which had been prolonged till a late hour, for it was now
+night, was interrupted by a blaze of light, which illuminated the whole
+sky.  Hurrying to the door of the hut, the cause became apparent.  The
+unfortunate town of Sarata was on fire.  In every direction the flames
+were bursting furiously forth, till the entire place became one burning
+mass.  Don Gomez, as he looked at the scene, wrung his hands, and wept
+bitterly.  The fire raged all night; and next morning nothing remained
+of Sarata but a heap of smouldering ashes.  The Indians triumphed, as
+savages alone may be excused in triumphing, over their fallen enemies.
+The priests who had been rescued, were, however, treated with respect;
+which showed the extraordinary influence they had obtained over the
+minds of the people.  Had it been more beneficially exerted, by teaching
+them the simple truths of pure Christianity, it would assuredly have
+prevented the horrors of the outbreak; but I fear their aim had rather
+been to establish their power, for their own selfish advantage, than for
+the sake of religion.  "By their fruits ye shall know them."
+
+A council of war was now held; when the young General Andres resolved to
+advance upon the town of La Paz; while Manco, with five thousand men,
+was to keep the communication open with the north, where he was to
+rejoin Tupac Amaru.
+
+I rejoiced at this, for I was anxious to see Pedro and Ned Gale again;
+and I own, from the scenes I had witnessed, I longed to quit the Indian
+army, and to commence our proposed journey towards Europe.  We marched
+as rapidly as before; the cavalry scouring the country in every
+direction, and now and then reporting that they had met and destroyed a
+few of the enemy; but no prisoners were brought in.
+
+I had often expostulated with Manco in vain, on the wanton destruction
+of human life.  His answer was, "We treat the Spaniards as they treated
+us.  I cannot prevent my people from taking vengeance."
+
+Yet, strange to say, every chief made a point of attaching to himself,
+as a Christian chaplain, one of the priests who had been saved from the
+captured towns and villages.
+
+As we approached the neighbourhood of Cuzco, intelligence was brought us
+that the Spaniards had collected in great force in that city; and that
+having been joined by a number of Indian tribes from Chili, and further
+to the south, they were well prepared to give battle to Tupac Amaru.  On
+hearing this, we redoubled our efforts to join the main army.  We found
+them drawn up in the neighbourhood of Tungasuca, in an extensive flat,
+with a hill on one side, and a river in their rear, prepared to receive
+the enemy, who were advancing along a valley in their front.  A strong
+body was posted on the hill, where the artillery was likewise stationed.
+I at once repaired there, in the hopes of finding Ned; but the cacique
+who had command of it received me very coldly, and informed me that the
+services of my countryman were no longer required, and that he could not
+tell where he was.  This chief went by the name of Quizquiz, after a
+famous general of the Inca Atahualpa.  I had met him before.  I did not
+like either his countenance or his manners; but the Inca had confidence
+in him, and listened to his advice.  He had become, I suspected, jealous
+of Ned, and did not like his interference.
+
+After wandering about for some time among the motley assemblage of dusky
+warriors, I found my old friend in the rear, sitting on the ground, and
+quietly smoking his pipe.  As soon as he saw me, he jumped up and wrung
+my hand heartily.
+
+"I'm glad to see you, mate, that I am," he exclaimed.  "I've been
+waiting for you, to be off; for the sooner we are out of this, the
+better, I'm thinking.  A set of lubbers there have got hold of the guns,
+which they don't know how to work; and they'll do themselves no good,
+and the enemy no harm, when they begin to fight, I warrant.  The Inca is
+as fine a fellow as ever stepped; but for that Senor Quizquiz, or
+whatever they call him, he'll play him some trick, or my name's not Ned
+Gale; mark that, mate."
+
+Ned having thus vented his spleen, as many another man would have done
+at having been deprived of his command, told me that Pedro was at a
+village among the hills in the neighbourhood, anxiously waiting my
+return.  He informed me also that the wife of the Inca, Nita, and a
+large number of other women were collected there.  Accompanied by Ned, I
+returned to where Manco with his men was encamped; and obtaining
+permission from him to carry off Don Gomez, we set out to look for
+Pedro.  I was mounted, and I had likewise obtained horses for my
+companions.  Beyond the river I have spoken of there was a succession of
+lofty hills, among which was situated the village now inhabited by the
+wives of the chiefs and other women.  We were obliged to ride along the
+banks of the river some way, till we found a ford, which we crossed.  As
+we ascended the first eminence, and looked back upon the scene we had
+left, it presented a very beautiful appearance.  The long lines of
+warriors, their shining arms, the innumerable banners, and the variety
+of costumes, from the half-naked savages of the interior, with their
+skin mantles and feather crowns, to the well-clothed inhabitants of the
+mountains and western plains, and the rich dresses of the chiefs
+embroidered with gold and ornamented with precious stones.  Then the
+extraordinary mixture of weapons--the artillery and muskets of modern
+warfare, with the bows, the slings, the clubs, and darts of ancient
+times.  Each man had come provided with such arms as he could procure;
+and for years before every Indian who could obtain a musket had
+carefully concealed it for the moment when he hoped to use it for the
+liberation of his country.
+
+Tupac Amaru had acted the part of a good general, by providing an ample
+commissariat, and several mills for the manufacture of gunpowder.  Had
+he at once followed up the successes with which the outbreak commenced,
+instead of wasting his time in preparing the pageants of mock royalty, I
+see no reason to doubt that he might really have re-established the
+dynasty of the Incas in Peru.  If we look at the way in which the
+Circassians, a mere handful of men, have for so many years defended
+against the arms of the Russians, a country more difficult to protect,
+we cannot but believe that the Peruvians might have successfully held
+the passes of the Andes against any force Spain could have sent against
+them.  In the case of the Circassians, however, it is the superior race,
+few in number, and unaccustomed to what is called civilisation, but
+defending their mountains against the inferior, though armed and
+disciplined by service; whereas the Peruvians were decidedly far lower
+in the scale of human beings than the Spaniards, and for long ages had
+been unacquainted with war, and had yielded submission to those against
+whom they had now risen.  There were many noble spirits among them; but
+others had the faults which years of slavery will ever leave behind, and
+treachery and deceit were among them.  Such reflections as these passed
+through my mind as I watched the embattled host.
+
+Just as we gained the brow of the hill, the loud roar of cannon sounded
+in our ears, and turning our horses' heads, we saw a large body of
+Spanish cavalry galloping towards the Peruvian army.  The artillery of
+the latter had opened on them at too great a distance to harm them.
+They halted for a time to allow the infantry to advance with several
+light field pieces, which at once commenced a very effectual fire on the
+crowded ranks of the Indians.  Several large bodies of the Peruvians
+rushed gallantly on to meet them; when the Spanish cavalry charged in
+among their somewhat disordered ranks, and drove them back with great
+loss.  Quizquiz finding, it appeared, that his guns did little execution
+from whence he was posted, dragged them on more in advance.  Ned watched
+him anxiously.
+
+"There," he exclaimed, "I thought it would be so.  Does the lubber think
+the Dons will let him stay there quietly to fire at them?"
+
+Quizquiz, however, seemed to think differently, and began firing away
+with great animation, his shot telling with some effect on the Spanish
+ranks.  No sooner was this perceived, than a strong body was despatched
+to attack him.  Some Peruvian troops were also marching to his support;
+but his danger had not been seen in time, and the Spaniards charging
+them with great spirit, the general took to flight, and left his guns in
+the possession of the enemy.  I had before suspected him of intending
+treachery, and I was now certain of it.  He, with a number of his men on
+horseback, rode off, and did not stop till he had crossed the river
+below us.
+
+The action now became general.  The whole Indian line advanced, led on
+by Tupac Amaru and his bravest chiefs.  Both sides fought with the
+greatest bravery; but the Spanish infantry, trusting in the superiority
+of their firearms, kept at a distance from the Indians, the cavalry only
+charging every now and then as the broken ranks of their opponents
+offered them an opportunity of success.  So vastly superior, however,
+were the Indians in numbers, that the wings being moved forward were on
+the point of completely encircling the Spaniards, when the whole force
+of the latter, advancing at a quick march, made a desperate attack on
+the Peruvian centre, the cavalry meantime charging the wings.  The
+Indians, already shaken, could not withstand the shock.  The chiefs
+urged them on.  Many fought with the most desperate bravery.  It had now
+become a hand-to-hand combat, the Spaniards like a wedge forcing their
+way onward.  The great aim seemed to be to seize the Inca.  Several of
+his chiefs perceiving this, seized his horse's bridle, and endeavoured
+to drag him out of the fight.  His followers, believing that it was the
+signal of defeat, gave way, and fled in all directions.  The chiefs in
+vain attempted to stop them.  Some fled across the plain, others climbed
+up the neighbouring heights, and many attempted to cross the river.
+
+Among the latter was the Inca, with the chiefs who had surrounded him
+for his protection.  The Spanish cavalry followed close upon their
+heels.  The Inca plunged in with his horse, which boldly stemmed the
+torrent; while his gallant followers turned and bravely attempted to
+oppose the passage of the Spaniards, till he had crossed safely over.
+The latter, flushed with victory, charged them fiercely, and cutting at
+them with their swords, scarcely a man remained alive.  The Inca, with
+his son and brother, and other relatives, had reached the opposite bank,
+and was galloping towards the mountains, where he might have found a
+safe retreat; when the traitor Quizquiz, who, with his followers, had
+been lying in ambush, rushed out and surrounded him.  So completely
+taken by surprise was he, that neither he nor any of his companions
+attempted to defend themselves.  Of those who did, one man only escaped
+from among them, and we saw them galloping with desperate speed towards
+us.  Meantime the Spanish cavalry had crossed the stream, and the
+traitor advancing to meet them, in a few minutes the unfortunate Inca
+was in their power.
+
+We had been so intently watching these events, that we had not observed
+what was taking place in another direction.  When the chief who had made
+his escape was perceived by the Spaniards, several horsemen were sent in
+pursuit of him.  He urged on his horse with desperate speed over the
+rocky and broken ground, at the foot of the sierra on which we stood,
+the soldiers every now and then discharging their pieces at him.  My
+interest increased as he approached, for I fancied that I recognised my
+friend Manco.  His pursuers got nearer to him, and fired more
+frequently.  I dreaded lest their shot should take effect.  They were
+close upon his heels; for his horse, wearied with his long journey and
+constant exertion during the day, could scarcely bear him on.  Just at
+that moment a shout reached my ears, and looking up in the direction
+whence it came, I saw Pedro running along the ridge of the hill towards
+us.  I waved to him as a signal that I had recognised him, and then once
+more turned to watch Manco's progress.  Tired as was his steed, it was
+more accustomed to the rough ground than were those of the Spaniards,
+with their heavy arms and accoutrements.  The noble animal exerted all
+its energies, well aware, it seemed, that a life depended on its speed.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
+
+PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER--MURDER OF THE INCA.
+
+I have said that Don Gomez was at my side.  As he saw the Spaniards
+drawing near, he turned to me.  "Senor David," he said, "these are my
+countrymen.  The Indians have lost the day."
+
+"You would wish to join them.  Is it so?"  I asked.
+
+"I would.  Have I your permission?" he said.
+
+"You were committed to my charge by yonder chief, who, I trust, will be
+with us soon.  If he gives you your liberty, your word will not be
+broken, though I shall be sorry to part from you," I replied.
+
+"But the Indians are defeated," urged Don Gomez.  "Am I to remain a
+prisoner for ever?"
+
+"Till he who received your word restores it to you," I again answered;
+and while I was speaking, Pedro reached us.  For a moment he was too
+breathless to speak; and during this interval I observed that Manco had
+so far got ahead of his pursuers, that their shot began to fall short.
+They halted; for just then they perceived us on the hills, probably
+supposing us enemies; and at the same moment a party of Indians, who lay
+concealed in some brushwood below us, sprang upon them.  Had the Indians
+waited till the soldiers had advanced a little further, every man of the
+latter might have been killed or captured.  As it was, they had time to
+turn their horses, and gallop off the way they had come, followed by a
+shower of arrows, which killed one and wounded another of them.
+
+Manco, without stopping, made his horse breast the hill.  He had got up
+some way, when we saw the noble animal stagger and fall, and both horse
+and rider lay motionless on the ground.  Ned and I galloped down the
+hill towards him; for Don Gomez had, in the moment before, thrown
+himself from his horse, and was standing grasping Pedro's hand, and
+looking earnestly in his face.  We reached Manco.  We found that his
+horse was dead, and that he had received a severe wound in his side.
+While we were stooping over him, the Indians came up, and, not knowing
+who we were, were on the point of knocking us on the head with their
+clubs, when he recovered his senses, and exclaimed that we were friends.
+We were once more aroused to action by Pedro's voice; and lifting Manco
+on my horse, which was fresh and strong, I rode up the hill, accompanied
+by Ned, and followed by the Indians.
+
+"Fly, fly!" exclaimed Pedro.  "I came to warn you of the danger you are
+in.  Look there, look there!"
+
+We looked in the direction he pointed; and I now perceived that while we
+had been watching the flight and capture of the Inca, and Manco's
+subsequent escape, which had occupied a considerable time, a strong body
+of troops had crossed the ford higher up the river, and were advancing
+rapidly along the path which led to the village where the wives of the
+chiefs had been left.  In a few hurried words, Pedro told me that on
+hearing the firing, he had come out to see what was taking place, and
+that, like ourselves, he had been watching the battle from another
+height.  To my deep regret, I found that, from the character of the
+ground, the troops were already much nearer the village than we were,
+and already occupied the only approach to it, so that the Indian women
+must inevitably fall into their power.  I endeavoured to conceal this
+information from Manco; for, heart-broken and wounded as he was, I
+thought it would kill him outright.  Those only, however, for whom I
+felt a personal interest, were Nita and her child; and I would have run
+every risk to save them.  We were at the time posted in a dip in the
+hill, and while Ned and I bound up Manco's wound, I sent Pedro to a
+height above us, to report the movements of the troops.  In a short time
+he gave notice that a party of them had been detached from the main
+body, and were advancing in our direction.  I concluded that as we
+climbed the hill, followed by the Indians, we had been perceived, and
+that, unless we were prepared to run the risk of falling into the hands
+of the Spaniards, we must make our escape.  Manco was sufficiently
+recovered to sit on horseback, and I proposed giving him my horse and
+following on foot.  As we were about to move off, I recollected Don
+Gomez's request.
+
+"He is at liberty to go," answered Manco.  "Perhaps he may recollect how
+he has been treated, and intercede for some of the unfortunate Indians
+who have fallen into the hands of his countrymen."
+
+To my surprise, Don Gomez refused the offer.
+
+"I will remain some time longer with you, unless that, youth (pointing
+to Pedro) may accompany me.  I would ask him some further questions; for
+his countenance has strangely agitated my mind."
+
+I had no opportunity of inquiring what he meant, when Pedro exclaimed
+that he saw an Indian woman, with a child in her arms, on the ridge of
+the hill, at some distance; and that the party of soldiers he had seen
+detached from the main body, were evidently in pursuit of her.
+
+Manco hearing these words, seemed to surmise what had occurred, and, in
+spite of his wound, throwing himself on my horse and calling on the
+Indians to follow, he galloped along the rocky height.  The eye of love
+at once recognised the person of the fugitive.  It was his own Nita.  We
+all hurried after him, and even Don Gomez seemed anxious for his
+success.  Ned, who was the only other person on horseback, and who,
+though he rode like a seaman, always managed to make his steed cross
+places few people would have ventured over, was soon by his side, and
+together the two galloped on towards the Indian woman.
+
+"Hurra," shouted Ned, "Hurra!  Mr Indian, hurra!  We'll manage to
+diddle the Dons."
+
+The Spanish soldiers had begun firing; but as they had at the same time
+to climb the hill, and were at a considerable distance, their aim was
+not good.  Their bullets, notwithstanding, as we got nearer, came
+whizzing by our heads; but still we pushed on.  They were evidently,
+however, gaining on the poor girl; and should she fall, or her strength
+fail her, they would be up to her before her husband could arrive to her
+rescue.  I have often had to undergo moments of great excitement, but
+never have I felt such intense anxiety as I did for Nita's rescue.  On
+galloped Manco and Ned.  The soldiers saw them coming, and fired a
+volley.  I saw Manco reel for an instant, but still he sat his horse.
+In another minute Ned had lifted Nita on his horse, and placed her
+before him, and handing the child to Manco, the two returned at the same
+rapid rate towards us.  The Spaniards, disappointed of their prey,
+halted, and fired again; and then seeing only a small body of Indians,
+continued their advance.  As we had nothing to gain by fighting, I
+called out to Manco, as he came up, to order the Indians to retreat.  We
+managed to do so in very good order, and at so rapid a rate that we soon
+distanced the Spaniards.  They were, however, continuing the pursuit,
+when the sound of a bugle from the main body called them back.  Halting
+as they heard it, they fired a parting volley after us.  It was well
+aimed; several of the Indians were struck, as was also the unfortunate
+Don Gomez.  I ran to his assistance; but he still sat his horse.
+
+"It is nothing," he said; "a mere flesh wound, which I shall soon
+recover from."
+
+I beckoned Pedro, who went up to him and walked by his side.  I was
+afraid lest a sudden faintness should make him fall from his horse.
+
+"What do you propose doing?"  I asked of Manco as soon as, having got
+beyond range of the Spaniards' muskets, we came to a halt.
+
+"Proscribed and hunted, we must henceforth, like beasts of prey, seek
+for safety in the caves and recesses of the mountains," he answered
+gloomily.
+
+"You say well we must settle what is to be done.  There is a cavern high
+up the mountains some way from this, where some hundred men may take
+shelter.  Few know of it, and if any traitors were to lead the Spaniards
+to it, they would find it cost them dear to attack us there.  I will
+show the way.  On, on, my friends, on!"
+
+I saw that the chief was in no mood for conversation.  That day all his
+brightest hopes had faded away for ever.  The liberty of Peru was lost;
+his friends had been slaughtered round him; and his Inca was a prisoner
+in the hands of his bitterest foes.  We pushed on as fast as the rugged
+nature of the country would allow us to move; crossing valleys and
+streams, and climbing mountains, till we arrived at the foot of a lofty
+and perfectly perpendicular precipice, along the foot of which we moved
+for some distance.  As I looked up, I saw that stones hurled from the
+summit would completely have annihilated us.  Almost at right angles
+from the cliff arose another hill, up which we now began to climb.  On
+reaching the summit, we turned once more in the direction of the cliffs,
+which we found were connected with the hill by a natural bridge of rock
+thrown across a dark and frightful gorge.  Ordering the horses to be
+turned adrift on the hill, Manco, with his child in his arms, led the
+way across the bridge, and along a narrow ledge, which now appeared as
+if cut by natural labour in the side of the cliff.  I kept close to him
+to assist him if required; Ned followed, supporting Nita; Pedro, leading
+Don Gomez, went next; and the Indians in single file after us.  A couple
+of hundred yards along a ledge, where a single false step would have
+proved certain death, brought us to a hollow in the face of the rock,
+entering which, we found ourselves in a cavern of very extensive
+dimensions.
+
+The ground was perfectly level, and the roof dry; and from the
+appearance I judged that art had been employed to render it habitable.
+Near the mouth were several pieces of wood which served for torches; and
+fire being produced by some of the Indians, the cavern was soon
+sufficiently lit up to show us its extent.  On one side, a fountain of
+pure water spouted from the rock; on the other, a quantity of wood was
+piled up; and in some oven-shaped buildings, I found was stored a
+quantity of corn.
+
+It is impossible to conceive a place more impregnable by nature.  The
+summit of the cliffs, I afterwards found, was perfectly inaccessible;
+while below they extended in a perpendicular wall to a depth of four
+hundred feet at least.  In front the valley widened out to a
+considerable extent, the opposite cliff being also almost inaccessible,
+so that the only possible approach was by the narrow ledge along which
+we had come.  Indeed it seemed capable of holding out against any
+besiegers, as long as the provisions within might last.
+
+As soon as we entered, Ned placed Nita on the ground, and Manco, faint
+with loss of blood, as well as with fatigue and agitation, sunk down by
+her side.  Taking the infant from him, she handed it to Ned, whose
+honest countenance had won her confidence.  She then placed her
+husband's head in her lap, and bent over him in silence, expressing her
+grief neither in tears nor cries.
+
+"Come, don't be cast down, Missus," said Ned, his kind heart moved by
+her sorrow.  "Better times may come, and your good man isn't going to
+slip his cable, I hope.  I say, mate, she don't understand my lingo," he
+continued, turning to me; "just you tell her what I say.  It'll cheer
+her up a bit."
+
+I saw that words could bring no comfort to the poor creature, but that
+our attention might be more effectually employed in binding up Manco's
+wounds.  Telling Ned this, we set to work in as scientific a way as we
+were able.  Some of the Indians brought us water, and Nita, when she saw
+what we were about, aroused herself to help us.  We had scarcely
+finished the operation, when a cry from Pedro called us to the
+assistance of Don Gomez, who had likewise fainted from the pain of his
+wound and loss of blood.  My attention had, indeed, been so completely
+occupied with my Indian friend, that I had forgotten that the Spaniard
+had been hurt.  Pedro was kneeling by his side, and supporting him with
+a look of interest and anxiety, which I at first was at a loss to
+understand.
+
+"O come, my friend, come and help him, or he will die!" he exclaimed.
+
+Ned, who had seen many a gun-shot wound, and had often assisted the
+surgeons to doctor his shipmates, examined the Spaniard's hurts.
+
+"It's a bad job, mate, I'm afraid," he observed, pointing to his side.
+"The ball is in him somewhere, for there's the place it entered, and I
+can find no hole where it could have got out again.  I've been feeling
+for it all round his back, but there's no sign of it.  How he came on so
+far as this without dropping, I don't know.  It was his spirit kept him
+up, I suppose."
+
+Finding that we could do nothing else to relieve the unfortunate Don
+Gomez, we washed and bound up his wound, and then laid him on a bed of
+some straw and skins, which we found in the cavern.  The same care had
+been taken of Manco.  The Indians, meantime, had lighted a fire in the
+mouth of the cavern, and were seated round it in moody silence, brooding
+over their defeat and the death of many of their comrades and friends.
+We found some brandy among the stores, and after Don Gomez had swallowed
+a little of it, which we gave him with some water, he revived, and
+beckoned Pedro to him.
+
+"You were telling me, as we came along, a strange tale of your life,
+young man," he said, in a feeble voice.  "It served to sustain me, when
+otherwise I should have sunk with pain.  Can I believe you?"
+
+"Indeed, Senor, I have only told the truth," replied Pedro.  "I was
+found by the Indians, when an infant, alone in a wood.  My complexion
+shows that I am Spanish; and see, the crucifix and chain which were
+around my neck when I was discovered, I have ever since worn."
+
+"Merciful Providence, what do I behold?" exclaimed the wounded man,
+starting up and gazing eagerly at the ornament Pedro exhibited.  "It
+is--it is!  Come to my arms, my son, my son!  I have found you, alas!
+but to quit you too soon again."
+
+Pedro had thrown himself upon his father's neck, for such there could be
+no doubt Don Gomez was.
+
+"Oh, do not say so, my father, whom I have so long sought.  Do not say
+that you must quit me!" he cried, in an agony of tears.
+
+"Alas! it is the climax of my destiny," answered the Spaniard.  "I have
+longed to discover you, and now that my wishes are fulfilled, death
+claims me as his own.  Such has been my fate through life.  I cannot
+even leave you the wealth I have amassed, for of that also I have been
+deprived."
+
+"O do not think of that!" exclaimed Pedro.  "It is sufficient for me to
+know that you are my father; and do but recover and I will learn to work
+for you and support you.  Say that you will not die, and I shall be
+happy."
+
+I need not further describe the scene.  Pedro sat by his father's side,
+and deep and earnest was their conversation.  Ned and I left them alone
+and joined the Indians at their fire, for we saw that we could render no
+further assistance to our patients.  The Indians had brought food with
+them, and as there was a supply of maize and dried meat and cocoa in the
+cavern, we had no reason to complain of hunger.
+
+Manco had given orders that one of the Indians should at all times be
+stationed at the bridge I spoke of, leading to the ledge, to give notice
+of danger; and they regularly relieved each other at the post, though
+few would have ventured to cross that rocky ledge even in broad
+daylight, much less at night, uncertain what reception they might meet
+with at its termination.  The night passed slowly, though I managed at
+intervals, as did Ned, to obtain some sleep.  I after a time got up and
+stood at the mouth of the cave, looking up at the dark sky studded with
+thousands of stars, and then glancing down into the obscure depths below
+my feet.  The air was perfectly still, and I fancied that I could hear
+the roar of cannon and the rattle of musketry echoing among the
+mountains.
+
+At length I perceived a ruddy glare extending over the sky.  I thought
+at first that it must be a sign of the rising sun, but, as I watched, it
+grew brighter and brighter, but did not increase in extent, and then by
+degrees it faded away before the genial glow of the coming day appeared.
+I guessed, too truly, that it arose from the burning of the village,
+which the Spaniards had attacked.  I did not, however, inform my
+companions, for I felt that I should only add to their grief by so
+doing.  The Indians continued sleeping till a late hour.  They seemed to
+have the power of thus steeping their misery in oblivion.  A night's
+rest had somewhat restored Manco, but he was evidently fretting at the
+thought of the inactivity to which his wound would consign him.  "But
+what would you do if you were able to move about," I asked.  "The Inca
+is a prisoner, and will, I fear, suffer death, for you cannot hope to
+rescue him."
+
+"The Inca never dies," he answered, lifting himself up on his arm, and
+looking me earnestly in the face.  "The young Andres is still in arms in
+the south, and may yet be victorious.  Should the Spaniards add a deeper
+dye to the crimes they have committed, by the destruction of the Inca,
+he will succeed; and should he too be cut off, I and that infant
+sleeping by my side must succeed to the title.  Little did the Spanish
+soldiers dream whom they were yesterday pursuing, when Nita fled from
+them with our babe in her arms."
+
+Hope still I saw supported my friend, and I would not deprive him of it,
+little as I entertained it myself.  Don Gomez had not improved.  He was
+feverish and weak, and I fancied that I saw death on his countenance;
+but he was happy at having his son by his side, and I was unwilling to
+warn Pedro of his danger.  Several days passed away without the
+appearance of an enemy in the neighbourhood; and at length the Indians
+began to grow uneasy at confinement.  We also were anxious to obtain
+information as to the state of affairs.  It was just possible that, as
+Manco hoped, the Spaniards might have been driven back.  And that we
+were shutting ourselves up for no object.  The difficulty was to decide
+who was the most proper person to go in search of information.  An
+Indian would, to a certainty, have been kept prisoner and publicly
+executed; Pedro could not leave his father; and when I proposed going,
+Ned declared that I should be either recognised as having escaped from
+prison, or treated as a spy.
+
+"For my part I don't mind going myself," he observed.  "I've no fancy
+for being cooped up here any longer; and if I'm asked any questions, all
+I shall say is, that I've got away from the Injuns, and want to get back
+to my own country."
+
+Very unwillingly I at last yielded to all the arguments he used to let
+him go instead of me.  I was also afraid that it might have been
+suspected that he had assisted us to escape from prison; but he
+overruled that objection by saying that it was a very long time ago, and
+that it was not likely any of those who had seen him should be at Cuzco,
+or remember the circumstance.  To prevent the risk of his falling into
+the hands of any Indians, Manco ordered one of those with us to
+accompany him to the neighbourhood of the capital, where he was to be
+hid till his return, and then to bring him back safe.  It was with a
+heavy heart that I saw Ned set out.  Still I was very anxious to
+commence our journey eastward, and without knowing the state of affairs,
+I could not quit my friend Manco, nor could we venture to move Don Gomez
+into the city.  I watched Ned as he passed under the cliff, and saw him
+wave his hat as a sign that he, at all events, feared none of the
+dangers of his expedition.
+
+Meantime the Indians ventured out a short distance across the mountains
+to hunt for game.  Several of them were always stationed on the
+surrounding pinnacles of rocks, whence they could watch for the approach
+of danger.  Now and then they killed with their arrows a _tarush_, an
+active and timid little roe which frequents the higher forests which
+skirt the Andes.  At night they used to set snares made of horse hair,
+at the mouths of holes inhabited by little animals like rabbits.  These
+were called _viscachas_ and _chinchillas_.  The skin of the latter
+supplies the beautiful fur so much prized in Europe.  Their colour and
+form resembles the rabbit, but they have shorter ears and long, rough
+tails.  As, however, we had an abundant supply of _charqui_, which is
+the name given to dried beef in the Andes, we were not dependent on the
+success of our huntsmen for food.  Pedro employed all his time in
+reading to and conversing with his father; and I observed that a very
+satisfactory change had taken place with regard to his state of mind.
+He had now learned to bow to the decrees of Providence without repining,
+and to acknowledge that whatever the great Ruler of the universe orders,
+is for the good of His creatures.  The event I had foreseen was fast
+approaching.  Every day Don Gomez had grown weaker and weaker, and he
+could no longer raise himself on his bed of straw.  One evening he
+called Manco and me to his side after he had made Pedro aware that his
+speedy death was inevitable.  "You have both been friends of my son," he
+said.  "Most deeply do I thank you, though I have no means of showing my
+gratitude; indeed, I must call on you still further to befriend him.  I
+found him poor, and may leave him so, unless the power of Spain is
+re-established in Peru.  In either case, you can serve him.  In the one,
+still support and protect him; and in the other, witness that I have
+acknowledged him as my son, and enable him to regain the property which
+was mine.  There is a certain Father Manuel in Cuzco, who knows my
+signature, and is cognisant of all the particulars of my history.  Let
+him see the papers I have left, should he have escaped the death which
+has overtaken so many of my countrymen, and he will assist him to the
+utmost of his means in his object.  May Heaven help him to obtain what
+by right is his!"
+
+We promised the dying man to obey his wishes to the best of our ability,
+though, as we could not venture to present ourselves in any city of Peru
+as witnesses, I had very little expectation that Pedro would ever
+recover his property.  That night Don Gomez breathed his last.  I will
+not speak of the bitter anguish poor Pedro suffered, at the death of a
+parent so lately found and so soon lost.  The Indians made a grave in a
+green mound on the neighbouring mountain; and there we buried the
+unfortunate man.
+
+Several days more passed away; and at last one of our scouts came
+hurrying in, to give notice that he had seen some persons approaching
+along the valley, in the far distance.  On the edge of the ledge, and at
+the mouth of the cavern, stones had been piled up, to hurl down on the
+heads of any who might appear in the guise of enemies.  I looked eagerly
+out, for I hoped they might prove to be Ned and his guide; for I had
+begun to be very anxious for my friend's safety.  As the persons drew
+near, to my great satisfaction, I recognised Ned and his guide.  They
+appeared footsore and weary, and came on very slowly.  I went out to
+meet him at the bridge.
+
+"I can't say a word, mate, till I've had some food and rest," he
+answered.  "And this poor fellow here, he's worse off than I am."
+
+After Ned and the Indian had eaten, they lay down to sleep, and it was
+four hours before the former awoke and gave me an account of his
+adventures, which I translated to Manco and Pedro.
+
+"Well, mates," he began, "I'm glad to get back with a whole skin on my
+body; and never may I have to see again the sights I've witnessed since
+I've left this place.  The sooner, for my part, we get out of the
+country, the better.  It was all very well when we had to climb up and
+down the mountains; I didn't mind that; but as soon as we got down into
+the plains, we couldn't go a hundred yards without meeting with the dead
+bodies of our fellow-creatures--Red-skin or White-skin, it's all the
+same to me.  I can't bear to see men, women, and young children murdered
+like sheep and lambs.  The Spaniards had cleared out and burnt every
+Indian village on the road.  We had to pass near the place where the
+battle was fought, and there were thousands and thousands of bodies of
+Indians.  The birds and beasts of prey could scarcely consume them.  At
+last we got near the city, and my Red-skin mate there stowed himself
+away under a rock in a thick wood; and taking the bearings of the place,
+I went on by myself.  I met no one till I got to the walls, for the Dons
+still kept inside, afraid of the Injuns, though they'd killed so many of
+them.  When the guards at the gates asked me what I wanted, I said I'd
+come from the mountains, where I'd been hiding away during the row, and
+that I was looking out for a night's rest in a civilised place, before I
+set out back to my own country; which was true enough, you know.  They
+then took me to the governor of the city, and he questioned me right and
+left; but I stuck to my story.  So when he found he could get nothing
+out of me, he let me go, telling me to come and see him in a couple of
+days or so.  I found there were to be great doings the next day, and
+what do you think they were?  Why, these Christians were going to burn
+the Inca and his whole family, because they tried to get back their
+rights.  It wasn't a sight I wished to see, you may depend on it; but I
+couldn't help myself.  Well, in the morning there was a large crowd in
+the great square; and in the middle there was a quantity of stakes and
+wood piled up, and near them a high platform.  Presently a number of
+Indian people were brought out of the prison--men, women, and children--
+and were marched up to the stakes, and bound to them with cords.  Last
+of all came a man, whom I soon saw was the Inca, for he was dressed as
+he was on the day of the battle, and looked a real king, every inch of
+him.  They made him stand up on the platform, and look down on what was
+going on below.
+
+"They first shot all the children, and then they set fire to the wood,
+and burnt the women, and then the men; and, would you believe it, among
+them was the wife of the Inca, and his children, and his brothers, and
+nephews and nieces.  He didn't utter a cry or a groan, but kept looking
+on as if his eyes would start out of his head; but they, poor creatures,
+shrieked out for mercy from men who hadn't got any in their natures.
+
+"When the rest were dead, they put some faggots under the platform, and
+burnt the brave fellow where he stood.  The people shouted and rejoiced
+as if they had done something to be proud of.  I couldn't stand it any
+longer, so I hurried away from the place; for I heard that all the
+Indian prisoners in the city were next to be shot, and that there were
+some hundreds of them.  I got into talk with a number of people.  From
+some I heard one thing, and from some another; but what I made out was,
+that young Andres, the Inca's son, with several other chiefs, were still
+in arms in the south; but that the Spaniards had sent for troops from
+all parts of America; and that, by fair means or foul, they were
+resolved to destroy every Indian, till the war was finished.  When I
+found that I could learn nothing more, I waited till night, and climbed
+over the walls.  I then ran on as fast as my legs could carry me, till I
+got back to the wood, where I found my guide.  Thinking I might be
+pursued, as I have no doubt I was, we made a very roundabout course, and
+kept a bright look-out for enemies on every side.  We managed to keep
+clear of them, however, but were very hard up for food; and I'm not
+sorry, let me tell you, mate, to find myself safe back again here."
+
+Such was the substance of Ned's account.  Prepared, as in a great degree
+Manco had been, he was dreadfully affected by it, and for some time
+could come to no resolution what course to take.  Had he been alone, he
+would at once have decided to join Andres, and endeavour still to make
+head against the Spaniards; but Nita and his child were in the other
+scale.  At last he announced his resolution of quitting that part of
+Peru, and taking refuge far beyond the borders of civilisation among
+some of the wild tribes of the interior, in regions where the foot of
+the white man had not yet penetrated.
+
+"There I will remain," he said, "till a more favourable opportunity
+occurs for rescuing my country from the oppression of the stranger.  Be
+assured that time will come.  My boy may have grown to manhood, and my
+hair may have turned grey, or we may both have passed away; but Spain
+cannot for ever keep her iron yoke on the necks of our people.  In the
+meantime we shall have collected arms, and have learned the art of war
+from our conquerors; and avoiding the errors which have now overcome us,
+we shall be able to cope with them successfully."
+
+He promised, moreover, to accompany us till we should be fairly embarked
+on the great river of the south.  I then asked Pedro what he proposed
+doing.
+
+"I will go with you, my friend," he answered at once.  "I have no hopes
+of obtaining my father's property, and I cannot quit you; I will share
+your dangers, and accompany you to your native land."
+
+I rather doubted whether it would not be wiser for him to try and reach
+Cuzco, and put himself in communication with the Father Manuel, to whom
+his father had referred him; but he adhered to his resolution of
+accompanying me.
+
+"I have no friends among my countrymen; I care not for wealth; and I
+long to obtain that knowledge which here I cannot hope to find.  I wish
+also to see the world, and more than all, David, I would not be parted
+from you."
+
+So it was arranged; and Manco having sent out the Indians as scouts in
+all directions to ascertain whether any Spaniards were in the
+neighbourhood, we made instant preparations for our departure.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINETEEN.
+
+OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES.
+
+During our long stay in the cave, my mind often turned to the future,
+and I was sorely puzzled to know by what means, without funds of any
+sort, we should find our way to England.  Ned, as a sailor, would have
+no difficulty; but Pedro and I, from our ignorance of nautical affairs,
+would be totally unable to work our way.  One day Manco asked me what I
+was thinking about.  I told him.
+
+"Let not that distress you, my friend," he answered.  "If gold could
+restore happiness to our country, I could fill this cavern with it.  I
+will show you where you may supply yourself with all you can require;
+you will spend it well, and therefore I do not hesitate to confide to
+you the secret of our hidden wealth."
+
+Two nights after this, as I was about to throw myself on my bed of
+leaves to sleep, Manco came to me.
+
+"We will at once set forth to obtain the gold I promised," he said.
+"Pedro and your countryman may accompany us to carry what we find.  We
+must return before the morning, lest we encounter any of the Spanish
+forces, who are ravaging the country on every side."
+
+A few words served to let Pedro and Ned understand what was to be done,
+and providing themselves with two bags, they instantly declared
+themselves ready to proceed.  Manco had provided torches, one of which
+we each of us bore; but he told us not to light them till we should
+reach the spot to which he was about to conduct us.  As we were setting
+out, he also distributed among us two spades and crowbars, and a
+pickaxe.  He led the way along the ledge and across the bridge; we
+following in silence.  He then descended the mountain, and proceeded
+down the valley for some distance, when he once more began to ascend.
+The ground was rugged and difficult in the extreme, and path there was
+none, so that, had we desired it, we could not again have found our way.
+For two hours we toiled on, up and down hill, following close upon the
+heels of Manco, who seemed to know the road by instinct.  At length we
+reached a valley, the hill on one side of which was covered completely
+with buildings, one rising above the other, and some apparently hewn out
+of the solid rock.  The moon, which had lately risen, lighted up the
+scene, and increased its wild and mysterious appearance.  Not a sound
+was heard, not a human being appeared from this city of the dead.  Manco
+stopped and gazed up at the city.
+
+"Two centuries ago, thousands of human beings, full of life and
+activity, thronged those walls," he remarked.  "All are gone, and of
+descendants they have left none.  All, all have been victims to Spanish
+cruelty.  Follow me."
+
+He moved on, and led us into several.  Some had two and even three
+stories, and the floors of slabs of stone or slate still remained.  We
+at last reached a house larger than the rest, with a number of windows.
+Manco stopped in the centre of the chief hall, and said, stamping his
+foot, "Dig there."  Lighting our torches, we stuck them in the ground,
+and set to work.  After digging about two feet, we came to a mass which
+proved to be the body of a human being, swaddled up in bandages of
+cloth, and in good preservation.  It was in a sitting posture, with the
+knees drawn up to the chin.  Placing it on one side, we dug on.
+Clearing away another stratum of earth, we reached a collection of
+household utensils, which at first I thought were of copper and clay;
+but as Ned was examining them, he exclaimed--
+
+"They are gold, every one of them!"
+
+"Dig, dig," said Manco; "you have more to find."  A third layer of earth
+was now removed, and we came upon a number of idols, all of gold or
+silver, and surrounding them a quantity of bars of pure gold.  None of
+us had ever seen so much wealth in one mass.  "There, take what you can
+carry, and cover up the rest," exclaimed Manco.  "You call that wealth,"
+he continued, as if divining our thoughts; "yet of what use is it to
+mankind thus locked up from sight?  Now hasten, or daylight will
+surprise us before we can reach the cave."
+
+Following his direction, we loaded ourselves with as much of the pure
+gold as we could carry; and then replacing the body as we found it, we
+again covered up the grave.  Then extinguishing our torches, we set out
+to return to our cavern, which we reached in safety.  It was with very
+great satisfaction that I bade adieu to the cavern which had for so long
+a time been our home.  We had three horses, on one of which Nita was
+mounted, and the other two were loaded with a supply of provisions; each
+of the Indians, besides, carrying enough for his own wants, till a part
+of the country should be reached where more could be procured.  Manco
+took every precaution for our safety which prudence could suggest.  He
+sent the Indians on ahead as scouts to inspect the country before we
+advanced, and to bring us timely notice of the approach of an enemy.  At
+that time it was difficult to know who were friends and who were not,
+for many of the Indians had gone over to the Spaniards, in the hopes of
+saving their lives and property; and others, still worse, we had too
+good reason to know, were ready to act the part of traitors, and to
+deliver up their countrymen for the sake of the reward they expected to
+receive.
+
+We proceeded for some way along a series of wooded ridges, called by the
+Spaniards _Ceja de la Montana_ (the Mists of the Mountains), on account
+of the thick mists which, rising from the rivers in the valleys below,
+are attracted by the trees, and hang over them in dense clouds.  In
+summer these mists are absorbed by the sun's rays; but in winter they
+discharge themselves in endless torrents of rain.  At night we took up
+our abode in some deserted hut; but never, if we could avoid it, did we
+rest in the abode of man, and whenever we did, Manco kept three or four
+of our allies watching at a distance outside; and we always again
+started at early dawn.  As we reached the extreme eastern edge of the
+_Ceja_, we looked down on an interminable extent of forest, composed of
+trees of a height with which few in other parts of the world can vie.
+These wooded plains are called Montanas, which is the name given to the
+whole of the country eastward of the Andes.
+
+As we advanced, our ears were saluted by the cries of numerous birds and
+animals.  Sometimes I thought I heard the roaring of a bull at a
+distance, when I found it to proceed from the black ox-bird; and at
+others the grunting of a hog sounded close to us; and a beautiful bird
+called the _Tunqui_, like a cock with a tuft of red feathers, and an
+orange bill, started up and astonished us with the contrast between his
+gruff note and gay plumage.  In the evenings, groups of the
+pheasant-like _Hachahuallpa_ summoned their distant companions with the
+cry of _Ven aca, ven aca_--Come here, come here; and owls and bats flew
+out with noiseless wings to pounce on their unwary prey.  Bears and
+ounces, pumas and tiger-cats crossed our path; and stags started from
+their thickets, where they had sought shelter from some of those
+above-named enemies.  Monkeys chattered at us, and squirrels leaped
+among the trees; rats and mice were found in the huts, and _argutis_ in
+the maize-fields; snakes crawled along the ground, and birds of prey
+circled high above our heads.  But in truth it would be impossible to
+describe one-tenth of the beasts, the birds, and reptiles we encountered
+in our journey; though I shall mention those I had opportunities of
+examining.
+
+We approached one evening the farm of a cacique, who, with most of the
+men of his village, had marched to join the army of Tupac Amaru.  The
+women only, and some of the old men and children, remained.  It was on
+the extreme borders of the country inhabited by Christian Indians.
+Beyond all was totally unknown to the white men, and but seldom visited
+by the civilised natives.
+
+Manco sent on a messenger to give notice of our approach, and to crave
+the hospitality of the cacique and his family.  He returned shortly,
+saying that the females only were at home, and that as yet they had
+received no account of the result of the expedition; but that they bade
+the strangers welcome.
+
+"Alas!" said Manco, "we are, I fear, the bearers of evil tidings.  Had
+the cacique escaped, he would have returned ere this."
+
+We proceeded on, and in a space cleared of trees, we found a collection
+of low buildings.  The walls were constructed of reeds, the interstices
+being filled up with loam; and the roofs were covered with palm leaves.
+On one side of the house was a coffee plantation, and on the other some
+fields of maize, with fruit-trees growing round them.  At a little
+distance, on some marshy ground, was a field of sugar-canes; and by the
+side of a brook a row of the useful banana.  The poor woman came out to
+receive us as we approached.  Her first inquiries were for her husband.
+Manco had seen him and all his people cut to pieces.  She did not faint
+or shriek out, but retired into an inner room, sat herself down on the
+ground, surrounded by her women, and groaned bitterly all the night
+long.  We did not see her again; but after a time one of her females
+came out and set food before us.  Our Indian companions found shelter in
+some of the huts of the village; and one belonging to the farm was given
+up to Ned, Pedro, and me.  We had Indian corn bread, and cakes made of
+the juice of the sugar-cane, called _chancacas_; potatoes, bananas,
+oranges, and pine-apples, and several varieties of dried meat; with a
+liquor also made from the sugar-cane, called _guarapo_: indeed we had no
+cause to complain of any want of provisions.  As we were safe here from
+all risk of pursuit, Manco proposed to remain for some days, that we
+might recruit our strength before prosecuting our journey.
+
+The cacique had been accustomed to increase his wealth by buying from
+the wilder tribes the celebrated Peruvian bark.  In the month of May, a
+number of Indians set out together, some of whom, of greatest
+experience, who are called _cateadores_, or searchers, climb the highest
+trees to spy out the _manchas_, or spots where the _chinchona_ groups
+are growing, distinguishing them merely by a slight difference in the
+tints from the dark-green of the surrounding foliage.  When the
+_cateador_ has discovered a group, he leads his companions to it with
+wonderful precision through the almost impenetrable forest; a hut is
+built, the trees are felled, and incisions are made in the bark, and
+after a few days, as it dries, it is stripped off and placed in the huts
+to dry still more.  It is then packed in bundles, and sent to market.
+
+A party of Indians came one day to the village, on their way across the
+Andes, from the more distant forests to the east, laden with balsams and
+odoriferous gums, which they had collected from a variety of resinous
+plants.  They were ignorant that the war had broken out, and when they
+heard of it, they were unwilling to venture further, and returned, to
+their own country.  The men who carried the loads had on merely a piece
+of cloth round the waist; but the women who accompanied them wore a
+loose tunic without sleeves.  Their legs were bare, but painted with the
+juice of the huito, which made it appear that they had on half-boots.
+The object was to protect their legs from the stings of insects.  I
+found that they professed Christianity.  They were regular medical
+pedlars; for they had powders, salves, plasters, seeds, and roots of
+every description; claws of the tapir, as a remedy against the
+falling-sickness; and the teeth of poisonous snakes, carefully stuck
+into rushes, as specifics against head-ache and blindness.  Manco had
+purchased a sufficient number of horses to mount all our party, and to
+carry such provisions as we required; though, from the abundance of game
+to be procured in the forests, we had no fear of being in want of fresh
+meat.  Still, however, as there was no notice of the approach of the
+Spaniards, he thought it better to remain a few clays longer, to recruit
+our strength, before we recommenced our journey.  Three of the Indians
+only had remained with us, the rest having departed to their homes in
+the south.  Pedro, Ned, and I employed our time in wandering about the
+neighbouring country, under the guidance of one of the Indians; but we
+were charged by Manco not to go far from the village.
+
+I can scarcely venture to describe the magnificence of the vegetation of
+that region.  There were numerous ferns and nettles growing in the form
+of large shrubs; wonderful bignonias and gigantic orchids drawing their
+nourishment from the air; with every variety of climbing plants,
+throwing their thousand tendrils round the trees which gave them
+support.  I could not but admire the various forms of the stately palm,
+the thickly-leaved balsam-yielding leguminosae, the luxuriant laurels,
+and the solaneae, with their numberless flowers of vast size.  Further
+on, again, on the flat lands towards the east, the mighty trees rise to
+an immense height from the humid soil, without a flowering plant or
+shrub below their branches, forming a canopy almost impervious to the
+light of day.
+
+One day we had gone farther than usual from home, when we reached a
+narrow lagune, overspread by the boughs of the gigantic trees which grew
+on either side of it.  The air and earth were teeming with animal life.
+Birds of beautiful plumage, and every variety of note, were perched on
+the branches, or flying above our heads; butterflies of many hues were
+flitting about in all directions; and reptiles and insects innumerable
+were crawling along the ground.  More beautiful than all were the
+humming-birds, which, like flashes of coloured light, appeared and
+disappeared as they flew by us; and surpassing his brethren in
+gorgeousness of hues, was the golden-tailed humming or fly bird, numbers
+of which haunted every glade we passed.  From many of the shady branches
+hung nests built by the pouched starlings, four or five feet long, and
+swinging to and fro with every breath of wind.  Flocks of green parrots
+were chattering on the higher boughs, and preparing to seek their
+night--quarters in the higher parts.  Our guide called them _jornaleros_
+(day-labourers), and told me that the name was given them because, on
+the return of every day, they come back at the same hour from the
+mountains, where they sleep, to gather their food in the lower forests.
+I had shot several birds, and was aiming at one, when he seized my arm,
+and implored me not to fire.
+
+"Do you not hear its note, Senor?" he exclaimed.  "If you were to kill
+that bird, Heaven would afflict you with some dreadful disaster.
+Listen: does it not say, _Dios te de_ (May God give it thee)?"
+
+The bird, as he rested on a branch before me, threw back his head and
+rocked his body, and certainly uttered a note which might easily be thus
+translated.
+
+I had got close to the lagune, and was watching a bird which, with
+fluttering wings, was hovering in the air a short distance from me, when
+our guide forcibly drew me back, whispering, with a look of terror, "Did
+you not see the _Yacumaman_?  Would you venture within the mighty coils
+of the Mother of Waters?"
+
+At first I did not know what he could mean, till, creeping back, I saw
+what I had at first taken for the root of a tree, but which I now
+perceived to be an enormous serpent.  Its body was wound in several huge
+coils round the stem of a decayed tree, while it bathed its tail in the
+waters of the lagune.  Its head was now thrust forward, as with
+glittering eyes it watched an opening in the forest.  Presently a slight
+rustling was heard, and a beautiful stag came to quench its thirst after
+the heat of the day.  It came up fearlessly, and dipped its head to
+drink.  Again it lifted it up, and looked around.  On a sudden it caught
+sight of those beautiful eyes.  Instantly its limbs began to tremble.
+It seemed to have no power to fly, but stood looking with mute wonder at
+the object which fascinated it.  The monster uncoiled itself, and glided
+from the tree.  Still the stag did not attempt to fly, yet in fleetness
+it could have outstripped the wind.  There it stood, a willing victim.
+In another moment the serpent had sprung upon it, and encircled it in
+its monstrous folds.  As we could not rescue the stag, and had no wish
+to interfere with the serpent, we hurried from the spot.  We were
+already later than it was wise to remain from the village, but we could
+not help stopping to listen to the delicious notes of a cinnamon-brown
+bird, with head and neck of dark olive, which was perched on a bough
+overhanging our path.  Never from a feathered songster had I heard notes
+more sweet or harmonious.
+
+"It is the _organista_," said our guide.  "Hurry on, Senores, hurry on,
+his note forebodes a coming storm; and, from the glimpses I have caught
+of the sky between the trees, I fear that we shall have one before we
+reach the village."
+
+We took the Indian's advice, for a storm in that wooded region was an
+event to be avoided, and walked as fast as we could over the soft ground
+towards home.  We had not got far, when a cry from Pedro, who was a
+little in our rear, made us stop.  As we hurried back to him, we saw
+that he was limping along as if in great pain, and trying to overtake
+us; and at the same time I observed a snake winding its way along among
+the trees at a rapid rate from us.  It was about two feet long, and
+covered with the most brilliant stripes of deep red, yellow, and black.
+The Indian caught sight of the reptile at the same time.
+
+"Ah! mercy, Heaven, mercy!" cried poor Pedro.  "I have been bitten by
+that deadly snake, and in a few minutes must die.  Farewell, my friends,
+farewell!"
+
+"Courage, Senor, courage!" exclaimed the Indian; "I have some huaco cake
+with me.  Eat, eat, and you may yet live."
+
+Saying this, he produced from his pocket some cake of the huaco leaves,
+a piece of which he put into Pedro's mouth, and spreading some more on
+the wound, pressed it with all his force.--A litter was soon formed, on
+which we placed him and carried him along, for the pain was too great to
+allow him to walk.  After a time, however, he declared that the pain was
+gone, but that he felt as if his leg was made of lead.  We hurried on,
+for we had no time to lose.  Thunder was heard rolling through the sky;
+and distant flashes, seen through the trees, showed that the storm was
+approaching.  Suddenly a tremendous crash was heard close to us; and,
+looking back, a tall tree, one of the giants of the forest, appeared
+riven from the crown to its roots, and a vast branch lay across the path
+we had just passed.  Nothing now was required to expedite our steps.
+The wind roared, the mighty trees rocked to and fro as if they had been
+reeds, the thunder rattled in deafening peals, and the lightning, in
+zigzag form, rushed down the stems of the trees, running like serpents
+along the ground, and flashed vividly in every direction.  The storm I
+had witnessed in the Cordilleras was grander, but it was scarcely so
+terrific in its effects.  We got under shelter in the cottage before the
+tempest had reached its height.  Pedro was instantly placed in bed,
+when, after a time, a profuse perspiration came on.  Some cooling drink
+was given to her, and a pumpkin poultice was applied to the wound.
+
+The huaco plant grows in the woods.  The leaves am half an inch long and
+half an inch broad, of a solid texture, the upper surface being of a
+dark-green, with purple veins running through it.  The stem is slender,
+hard, ribbed, and of a bluish colour; and the leaves grow singly, two
+being placed opposite to each other.  It is said that the natives
+discovered its qualities by observing that a bird called the huaco,
+which feeds on snakes, whenever it was bitten flew off and ate some of
+this plant.  I have heard that the harmless snakes are great enemies to
+the poisonous ones, and will attack those much larger than themselves.
+
+It took two or three days before Pedro had completely recovered from the
+effects of the bite.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY.
+
+SPANIARDS PURSUE US--ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS.
+
+"Up, up, my friends!" exclaimed Manco, rushing into our hut one morning,
+just before daybreak.  "The Spaniards are traversing the mountains with
+fire and sword, and we must haste away from this."
+
+We all instantly sprung to our feet, and without exchanging many words,
+packed up our goods.  By the time we were ready, the horses were caught
+and saddled, and we were soon mounted and ready to proceed.  Our party
+consisted of Ned, Pedro, and I; Manco, Nita, and their child; and three
+Indians, of a tribe with whom the latter were going to take up their
+residence.  We had, besides, two other horses laden with clothing and
+provisions.  Bidding adieu to our unhappy hostess and the villagers, our
+cavalcade was put in motion, and we plunged into the interminable
+forest.  Without the assistance of our Indian guides, we could not
+possibly have found our way among the gigantic trees which shot up like
+tall masts from the level soil, often branchless till near the summit,
+where their boughs intertwined, and formed a canopy which the rays of
+the sun could scarcely penetrate.
+
+"On, on, my friends!" cried Manco; "the enemy may be on us before we are
+aware of their approach.  They have traitors with them, and will
+certainly despatch a force to search us out."
+
+This was sufficient to make us urge our horses to their utmost speed;
+and all day we rode on, halting only now and then for a very short time,
+to rest our animals or to take food.  At night we encamped in the
+forest.  For our shelter we cut a number of canes which grew near a
+stream, and with them formed some huts, which we thatched with palm
+leaves.  We had supplied ourselves with grass hammocks and Indian
+mosquito curtains, and by hanging them up in our huts we obtained very
+comfortable quarters.  We frequently had streams to pass, which feed the
+great arteries running into the Amazon.  They were in most instances too
+deep to be forded, so we had to wait till we could construct rafts to
+convey ourselves and our luggage, our horses swimming alongside.  We
+took care to make a great noise to keep the caymans at a distance, lest
+any of them should think fit to grab at our animals' legs.  We had the
+satisfaction of feeling sure that, should we be pursued, our enemies
+would take much longer time to cross than we did.  Still, however, we
+pushed on as fast as the nature of the ground would allow.  We were now
+approaching the river Ucayali, at a spot not far from the banks of which
+Manco intended to make his abode.  He might, of course, have found
+numberless places among the Andes, where the Spaniards could not have
+discovered him; but so many of his brother chieftains had already been
+betrayed by their own countrymen, that he had resolved to remove himself
+far beyond the reach of treachery, among savages who, if they had not
+the virtues, were free from the vices of civilisation, and were too
+independent to be tempted by a bribe to deliver him into the hands of
+his enemies.
+
+Though in general the country was level, here and there mountains and
+rocky ledges crossed our path, the far-stretching spurs of the Andes.
+We found the country very thinly populated, though we occasionally fell
+in with small parties on their hunting expeditions.  The first infidel
+Indians we met somewhat raised our curiosity.  They were short in
+stature, and had swarthy complexions and long black hair, without any
+beard on their chins.  They wore a long frock without sleeves, and when
+we first saw them we took them for women.  They were armed with bows and
+arrows.  They had never seen any white men before, and were at first
+very much frightened and inclined to run away; but our Indians, who
+spoke their language, that of the Panos, assured them that we would not
+injure them, and they became very communicative.  When they heard where
+we were going, they entreated us not to proceed, assuring us that we
+should encounter numbers of cannibal Cashibos, who would to a certainty
+kill and eat us.
+
+"Tell them that we fear not the Cashibos nor any other wild men," said
+Manco.  "If they molest us, we will treat them as the beasts of the
+forest, though we would willingly pass them peaceably."
+
+As we rode along after we had parted from our little friends, I asked
+Manco who were the dreaded Cashibos; and he told me that they were the
+most savage and warlike of all the wild tribes in the Pampa del
+Sacramento, between the rivers Ucayali and Hualtaga.  "We must be on our
+guard against them, for they are equally cunning as fierce, and I truly
+believe that they really do eat those they can take prisoners."
+
+Our own Indians were evidently very much afraid of these Cashibos, and
+kept a much more watchful guard than heretofore, both as we rode along
+and after we encamped for the night.  Several days after this we were
+approaching that part of the Ucayali, where we proposed to embark.  I
+longed to reach it almost as much as did Ned.  "Ah, mate," he exclaimed,
+when I told him that we had little more than one day's journey more on
+horseback to perform; "let us once get our craft built and afloat, and
+we may snap our fingers at the Cashibos, and any other enemies to boot."
+
+It was necessary, before embarking, to lay in a supply of provision,
+that we might not be impeded in our passage down the river; and as our
+Indians observed signs of an abundance of game, we halted much earlier
+than usual to hunt.  Ned remained with Pedro and Nita to build the huts
+and look after the horses; while Manco and I, with our three Indians,
+set out for the chase.  At some distance off, between us and the river,
+was a lofty, rocky hill, which served as our land-mark; and by taking
+the bearings of it with two other heights still farther off, I hoped to
+be able easily to find my way back to the camp.  Manco and I had the
+rifles, the Indians their bows and arrows.  While wandering among the
+trees, which were here more than usually interspersed with shrubs and
+creepers, I very soon got separated from my companions.  This did not
+alarm me, as I was certain that I could without difficulty find my way
+back to the encampment.  I soon fell in with a pathway, which I
+recognised as one formed by the peccary or wild hog, which traverses the
+forests in droves consisting of two or three hundred.  I stopped and
+listened, for I thought I heard a grunting sound, which showed that some
+were not far off.  I was not mistaken, for the noise increased in
+loudness, and I satisfied myself of the direction from which it was
+coming.  Hiding behind a tree, I stood ready to fire, in the hopes of
+killing one of the leaders, and having time to load and take a second
+shot before the herd passed by.  As soon as they appeared along the
+path, I singled out one and let fly; but my aim was not steady, and I
+only wounded the beast.  At the same time I had, I suppose, exposed
+myself to view; for the whole herd, led by their wounded companion, came
+rushing towards me with furious grunts of rage, evidently with the
+intention of destroying me.  To hope to escape by flight was out of the
+question, for they would soon have overtaken me.  Fortunately I had
+observed a tree, with branches which I could reach; and retreating to
+it, I had climbed up a few feet from the ground before the furious herd
+reached me.  When they found themselves disappointed of their prey, they
+dashed their snouts into the ground round the tree as if they would tear
+it up by the roots, and thus get at me.  They worked so perseveringly,
+that at first I had some little apprehension that they would succeed,
+and I began to consider how, if the tree fell, I should manage to escape
+my assailants.  On climbing higher, I saw that the boughs of the tree I
+was on interlaced with another, and that I might, by catching hold of
+the latter, save myself, should the peccaries succeed in their attempts.
+The peccaries grunted and dug away below, and I climbed up higher and
+higher.  At last I reached a branch on which I could conveniently sit
+and load my gun.  "Stop," I thought to myself; "before I take more
+trouble, I may as well shoot some of these gentlemen.  They cannot carry
+off their dead, and when they go away, as I suppose they will do some
+time or other, they will leave them behind for me."
+
+The execution followed the thought.  I tumbled one of my enemies over,
+and his companions finding that he was dead, set off to escape from a
+similar fate.  I had, however, time to load and fire again, and killed
+another hog.  As the one I had at the first wounded was by this time
+dead, to my great satisfaction, the herd scampered off, leaving three of
+their number behind.  I fired a fourth time, but missed, and then
+descended from the tree.  How to get the peccaries to the camp was now
+my puzzle, for one of them was rather too heavy a load for me to carry,
+and I had no knife with me to cut them up.  If I left them where they
+were, in all probability they would be eaten up by some beasts or birds
+of prey before I could return to them.  To save them from the former, it
+occurred to me that I might hang them up on the branches of the tree
+which had enabled me to escape from becoming their food, instead of
+their becoming mine.
+
+There were a variety of creepers, out of which I could form ropes; and
+selecting some of the toughest and most pliant, I secured them to the
+peccaries, which I dragged under the tree.  Having, with no little
+satisfaction, hoisted up my spoils, I set out to return to the camp.  On
+my way I stopped to look at a tree which seemed to bear a great variety
+of leaves.  On examination, I discovered it to be a _mora_, round the
+stem of which climbed a number of creepers.  On the summit grew a
+fig-tree, fully as large as a common English apple-tree; and from its
+branches again hung pendant a number of vines, both fig-tree and vines
+bearing a quantity of fruit; but the parent _mora_, from the undue
+exhaustion of its sap, was already giving signs of decay, and in a short
+time both fig-tree and vine, I saw, would inevitably follow its fate.  A
+little farther on, a couple of sloths were making their progress through
+the woods.  I watched them passing from one tree to the other, as the
+branches met, stirred by the breeze; and having hitherto seen them
+hanging lazily by their claws to boughs, I was surprised at the rapidity
+of their movements.  I have often heard people assert that the sloth
+spends his torpid existence in a perpetual state of pain, from the
+peculiar sighing noise he makes, and the slowness of his movements when
+placed on the ground.  In the first place, I cannot believe that God has
+created any animal to pass an existence of pain.  The fact is, that the
+sloth is formed to live in trees, to climb, and to feed on leaves, and
+not to walk on the ground.  Though he cannot be called a frisky animal,
+he certainly does not deserve the name given to him, as, when he
+chooses, he can move, as I now had proof, at a great rate.  Dogs bark,
+donkeys bray, and cocks crow, and the sloth sighs, when he wishes to
+speak; while, from his long arms and short legs, with his sharp claws,
+he by nature is intended either to be climbing, or, if asleep, hanging,
+with his back perpendicular to the ground.  I shot one of my friends,
+and hanging him over my shoulder, carried him towards the camp.
+Scarcely had I resumed my walk, when I saw a large grasshopper, as I
+thought, playing about a bush, and on the point of settling.  As I was
+passing near it, I was about to put out my hand to catch it, to examine
+it more minutely, when, just in time, I sprang back; for there I beheld,
+to my horror, the head and crest of an enormous rattlesnake.  In another
+instant I should have been his victim.  I did not stop to see what way
+he went, but hurried on as fast as my legs would carry me.  I listened,
+as I advanced, to the notes of the various birds which filled the
+forest, and sometimes to the cries of beasts; and I fancied that I heard
+others answering them from a distance.
+
+By some means or other I missed the path I intended to follow, and found
+myself in a thick mass of trees.  In trying to get out of it, I entirely
+lost the line I was pursuing; and at length finding a tree I could
+climb, I mounted to the top of it, to look out for my land-mark.  While
+I sat on a bough, concealed by the thick foliage, I found that I had a
+view of an open space at some little distance off, a mass of low trees
+only intervening.  I was about to descend, when my eye caught sight of a
+figure moving through the glade.  Presently another, and then another,
+followed.  The stopped and listened attentively, as if they had heard
+something to interest them.  They were tall men, dressed in long tunics,
+and had beards and lank black hair.  Each man carried a club by his
+side, and a long spear in one hand, and a bow, with an arrow ready for
+use, in the other.  As one of them turned his face, I saw that he was a
+Red Indian; and by the peculiar expression of his countenance, I felt
+certain that they must belong to the dreaded _Cashibos_.  I trembled for
+the safety of Nita and my two friends, for I could not doubt that many
+others were in the neighbourhood; and I could scarcely dare to hope that
+they could fail to discover our camp, or to fall in with Manco and the
+Indians.
+
+They were evidently intent on taking game, for they sounded the notes of
+several birds in succession, to try if any were in the neighbourhood.
+Two or three answered, and shortly making their appearance, fell,
+pierced by the Indians' unerring arrows.  Again they sounded their
+notes, which were answered from a distance, but no game appeared.
+
+I must own that I was far from comfortable all the time, and afraid to
+move or almost to breathe.  Every moment I expected to see them turn
+their heads, and to be discovered by their sharp eyes; and from the
+account I had heard of them, I could hope for nothing better than to be
+shot, and cooked forthwith for their suppers.  After waiting, however, a
+short time, I saw them dart among the trees, and, to my great relief, in
+an opposite direction to the camp.  Instantly I hurried down from my
+lofty perch, and made the best of my way towards the camp, keeping a
+bright look-out, lest any of their friends should catch me unawares.
+
+I ran in breathless haste, anxious to warn my friends in the camp.
+Twice, in my hurry, I missed my way, and found myself going in the very
+direction the Cashibos had taken.  At length I saw a column of smoke
+curling up among the trees.  I felt certain that it must proceed from
+the camp; yet, as I got nearer, a horrid idea seized me, and I fancied
+that I must be mistaken, and that I might find instead, the cannibals
+seated round one of their dreadful banquets.  Still I went on, advancing
+as cautiously as I could, and taking care to leave as little trace of my
+course behind me as possible.  After going on in this way for some time,
+my ear caught the sound of singing; and looking between the bushes, I
+saw a fire burning with a spit before it, and on the spit there was
+roasting what I might have mistaken for a small baby, had not my friend
+Ned been officiating as cook; and I guessed that it was a monkey which
+had been prying too near the camp, and had been shot either by him or
+Pedro.  The scene I looked on was one of perfect quiet and repose.  The
+three huts were finished; Nita was concluding some arrangements in the
+interior of hers, and her infant lay in a basket at the entrance.  Ned,
+as I said, was acting as cook, and Pedro was attending to the horses
+which were picqueted around.  I was very unwilling to be the bearer of
+bad news to my friends; but there was no time to be lost, so I walked in
+among them.
+
+"Ned," I said, "we must be on our guard, there are Indians in the
+neighbourhood; they are fellows who would eat us if they could."
+
+"They must catch us first," said Ned coolly.  "If they do, they'll find
+some of us tough morsels, I calculate."
+
+On seeing me, Nita rushed out and inquired for her husband, being
+alarmed at my having returned alone.  I somewhat tranquillised her by
+explaining that I had been separated from the rest; but still she saw
+that all was not right.  Though I was anxious to bring in the peccaries,
+Ned agreed with me that it would be imprudent to leave the camp, for we
+could not escape being discovered before long by the Cashibos.  After a
+time I told Nita quietly that I had seen some strange Indians, and that
+I thought it wise to be on our guard against them; indeed, as we might
+possibly find a large party of them, and be obliged to retreat in a
+hurry, it would be better to pack up and be prepared for a start, as we
+were not in a spot where we could well defend ourselves if attacked.
+Nita agreed with me in the wisdom of this proceeding, and accordingly we
+packed up our goods, and saddled and loaded our horses.  I loaded my
+rifle, and Ned his pistols and musket; and Pedro and Nita got the bows
+and arrows and spears ready.  I expressed a hope that all this
+preparation would not be required.
+
+"So do I," answered Ned; "but you see, mate, a good seaman always gets
+his ship snug at night if he thinks a storm is brewing, because he can't
+see exactly the time when it may come.  So I think we are right to get
+ready, for the savages, who may pay us a visit when we least expect
+them; and as just now, you see, if the rest don't come back, and we've
+only got you and I, and the young Don and the woman and the child, who
+won't be much help, the odds will be rather against us.  Looking at
+these things, I think if we were to build up a bit of a fortification
+like, it would be some aid to us in case of need."
+
+Ned's advice was too good to be neglected, and accordingly we set to
+work and cut down some young trees and branches; and taking the huts as
+a centre, we threw up a sort of breast-work, sufficient to assist in
+protecting us while we knelt down to fire.
+
+We had by this time become very anxious at the prolonged absence of
+Manco and the Indians; and I greatly feared that they might have been
+surprised by the Cashibos, and murdered.  The sun was casting the tall
+shadows of the trees across the forest glades, and still they did not
+come.  At length I determined to mount one of the horses and go in quest
+of them.  Just, however, as I was putting my foot in the stirrup, a shot
+was heard close to us, and then another, and several arrows came
+glancing between the trees, but falling short of the camp.  Directly
+afterwards one of our Indians burst through the brushwood, an arrow
+sticking in his side.  With a look of terror, he pointed towards the
+point from which he had come, uttering the words "Cashibos--Cashibos."
+Having broken off the head of the arrow, and drawn out the shaft, I told
+the poor fellow to run into the camp; I sprung on my horse, and dashing
+forward with my rifle in my hand, I saw Manco and the two other Indians
+contending with a dozen or more Cashibos.  Manco had shot two of them;
+but the rest, undaunted by the unexpected effect of the new instrument
+of death he held in his hand, were on the point of rushing in upon him
+with their clubs.  I saw there was not a moment to be lost, and forcing
+my way through the tangled mass of creepers and shrubs which lay between
+us, I reined up for an instant, and took a steady aim at the leading
+savage.  He fell to the ground with a yell of rage, and I then, without
+stopping to load again, dashed on towards the next.
+
+"Well done, mate, well done," I heard Ned shouting behind me.  "Knock
+the rascals on the head; that's the way to settle them."
+
+So astonished were the savages with the sudden apparition of me and my
+horse, that I had struck one fellow to the ground before he had time to
+defend himself.  Ned took aim at a third, and wounded him; but the
+savages, rendered more furious, still came on with menacing gestures.
+Manco had during the interval reloaded his rifle, and singling out
+another savage, brought him to the ground.  This made the rest once more
+halt, and seeing me loading, they were on the point of taking flight,
+when some loud cries resounded through the woods, and gave them notice
+of the approach of some more of their companions.
+
+"To the camp, to the camp, my friends!" exclaimed Manco, when he was
+aware of this; and obeying his order, we all retreated at once towards
+the huts.  The Cashibos had received too strong a taste of our quality
+to follow at that instant, and allowed us to reach the camp unmolested.
+We instantly held a council of war, and at first Manco, when he saw the
+fortification we had thrown up, proposed waiting where we were to
+receive the attack of our enemies; but he soon agreed with me and Ned,
+that it would be wiser to escape while we could, on horseback.  We could
+not tell how many Cashibos there might be, and they would probably
+collect ultimately in such numbers as to overwhelm us, even should we at
+first succeed in beating them off.  Our Indians, I found, were fully
+expecting to see their companion drop down dead, from the effects of the
+poison they supposed to have been on the arrow; but either it had not
+been poisoned at all, or the poison had dried and peeled off, for the
+man did not seem to suffer more than from an ordinary wound.
+
+The advantage of our having made our preparations for moving beforehand
+was now apparent, and to it we probably owed our safety; for, without
+the loss of a moment, as soon as our plan of proceeding was settled, we
+mounted and rode off at a rapid rate through the woods.  The Cashibos
+caught sight of us, and saluted us with loud shouts and war-whoops, and
+a flight of arrows came whistling after us; but we were already beyond
+their reach, and it only made us gallop the faster.
+
+"Sing away, old fellows!" shouted Ned; "though you've lost your supper,
+we've saved ours," and he held out the monkey at the end of the spit
+which he had snatched from the fire as we were mounting, and brought
+along with him.
+
+Fortunately the country before us was tolerably free of trees, and the
+rock I have mentioned served to guide us; but the sun soon sunk below
+the horizon, and left as for a time in darkness.  The sky was clear, and
+a bright star soon came out, by which we steered our course towards the
+river.  The chief danger now to be apprehended, was from the fallen
+trunks of trees, or any soft bogs into which our horses might sink.
+After a time the moon got up, and showed us more clearly our way.  On we
+pushed, therefore, for though the Indians might not follow us in the
+dark, we were very certain that they would directly it was day; and our
+great aim was to get to some rocky spot by the bank of the river, where
+we might, by having the stream on our side, the more easily defend
+ourselves.  Vampire bats and owls, and other night-birds flew by; and
+snakes and noxious reptiles crossed our path as we rode on; but nothing
+stopped us.
+
+We pulled up when we reached the rock which had at first guided our
+course, and consulted whether we should take up our position there for
+the night, and prepare to defend it against the savages; but it was
+finally agreed that we would travel on till we reached the river.  The
+journey would knock up our horses, but as we should have no further need
+of them, that could not be taken into consideration.  Nita bore up very
+well; indeed she seemed to suffer from fatigue as little us any of us.
+Sometimes her husband carried her child, and sometimes Ned took charge
+of it.  About midnight a halt was called, on an elevated spot, whence we
+could command a tolerably clear view on all sides.  We required to rest
+and feed our horses as well as ourselves, though we could not venture to
+light a fire, which would have betrayed our position to our pursuers.
+While we rested and ate, we kept a vigilant watch; for though it was not
+probable that the Indians would have followed close to our heels, it was
+just possible that they might have done so, as in consequence of the
+numerous impediments in our way, a quick-footed man might have gone
+almost as fast as we did.
+
+While I was gnawing away at the leg of the monkey, and looking out at
+the same time into the darkness below, I saw something move across an
+open glade.  It came nearer, and stopped at a spot where the moonbeams
+streamed full upon it, when I saw that it was a large jaguar.  He sat
+upon his hind-legs and looked at us very wistfully, as if he should like
+to secure one of us for supper.  Presently he moved again and came a
+little nearer, when he sat down to look at us as before.  I was going to
+have a shot at him, but Manco restrained me, observed that it might be
+heard by the Cashibos, and lead them to us.  Still the jaguar crept
+nearer, and once more stopped to watch us.  If he was hungry, we must
+have been very tempting to him.  Our Indians at last thought it was no
+joke, for in another moment the jaguar might have picked one of us off;
+so they set up so loud a scream that they made him turn about in a
+fright, and scamper off into the forest.  As this would to a certainty
+have led the Cashibos to us, if they were in the neighbourhood, we once
+more mounted and continued our journey.  Sometimes I thought I heard the
+savages behind us; but the sound proved to be the cry of some bird or
+beast of prey.
+
+No other adventure occurred, and, as day dawned, the calm waters of the
+river appeared shining brightly through the trees.  A little further on
+rose close to the stream a high rock, the river face of which was almost
+a perpendicular precipice, while that inland was steep and rugged in the
+extreme.  The top was of sufficient extent, it appeared, to enable us to
+pitch our huts on it, and to keep our horses there, it necessary.
+Having surveyed it, we discovered a path by which we could hope to lead
+up our horses, every other side being too difficult for men, even
+unencumbered with burdens, to climb up.  After some trouble, we reached
+the top, whence we found a fine view up and down the river, and over a
+wide extent of forest on either side.
+
+"The sooner we turn this place into a castle, the better for us, mate,"
+observed Ned.  "What say you?  We must get some trees down first,
+though."
+
+I told Manco what the sailor said, and he instantly agreeing, we set to
+work forthwith to cut down all the trees which grew around, and which
+might serve as a covert to the enemy, and would form palisades for us.
+
+We set to work with a will with hatchets and knives, and in an hour had
+cut stakes enough to fence in the whole rock.  Where the soil was of
+sufficient depth we drove them into it; and at the other places we piled
+up stones, which we brought up from the margin of the river.  We gave
+ourselves not a moment's rest; even while we were eating we were
+sharpening the stakes.  Ned set the example, and we all imitated him.
+In more important points, as a leader.  Manco showed himself fit to be a
+chief; but the British seaman, where manual work was concerned, was his
+superior.  By noon we had a very respectable stockade run up, such as
+might withstand an attack for a short time from any ordinary enemy not
+possessed of firearms.  All the trees and shrubs on the sides of the
+rock had been cut away, and stones had been piled up near all the more
+accessible points, to serve as a rampart, or to be used as weapons of
+defence.
+
+"Now, mates," exclaimed Ned, after he had walked with an air of
+satisfaction round our fortifications, "the work is done, so let's pipe
+to dinner."
+
+To dinner, accordingly, we went; and one of our dishes was the sloth I
+had shot, and we had some more monkeys, and several birds, which we had
+brought hung on to our saddles.  We were obliged to light a fire, and we
+did not fear to do so, as we knew that in daylight the Indians would
+just as easily track us without its guidance as with it.  After dinner
+we began to construct our huts in a more substantial way than usual, as
+we should be compelled, we knew, to live here some time to build our
+canoe.  Everything depended on the rapidity with which we could work, so
+as to be in perfect readiness to receive an attack from the cannibals,
+should they have ventured to follow us.  It was night before all our
+arrangements were concluded; and as during the whole time we had not
+given ourselves a moment's rest, we were well nigh worn out.  It was
+necessary, however, to keep a watchful guard during the night, for which
+purpose we divided ourselves into three watches.  We slept with our
+weapons by our sides, ready for instant use.  When it came to my turn to
+watch, I walked round the ramparts to keep myself awake, for I was well
+aware of the cunning of the Cashibos, and that they always make their
+attacks at night.  As I stopped for a moment, a long, shrill plaintive
+cry came through the night air, followed by three others of the same
+length, gradually deepening in tone, and which had a peculiarly
+melancholy expression.  At first I thought the cry must have arisen from
+some human being in distress.  I remarked it to the Indian who was
+watching with me.
+
+"Ah, that sound comes from a little bird," he answered.  "We call it the
+_alma perdida_.  It is bewailing the dead, and good cause has it now to
+sound its notes--_Aye de me_!"
+
+The night passed on, and though on several occasions I fancied that I
+could distinguish the forms of the savage Cashibos skulking round us,
+none appeared, and daylight once more returned.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON--PARA--SAIL FOR RIO DE JANEIRO--ALL'S WELL THAT
+ENDS WELL.
+
+Our first care in the morning was to search for a tree which might serve
+us to scoop into a canoe, till lower down the Amazon we might fall in
+with one large enough to convey us to Para.  Fortunately we discovered
+one to suit our purpose close to the rock, and we instantly set to work
+to bring it to the ground.  Thanks to Manco's forethought in providing
+us with good hatchets, in the course of three hours it lay prostrate on
+the ground, a piece of about thirty-five feet long being marked off to
+form the canoe.  All day we worked at it, one man at a time being
+stationed on the highest point of the rock to give notice of the
+approach of an enemy.  Before night we had made some progress in
+fashioning the bow, and in scooping out the inside.  The night passed
+off as before, and we began to hope that the Cashibos had had a
+sufficient taste of our quality, and did not intend to attack us.  Ned
+expressed his opinion that it would be necessary to build up some sides
+to our canoe; and as we had no means of sawing planks, we looked out for
+some tough smooth bark to answer the purpose.  The Indians sewed the
+pieces we stripped from the trees neatly together; and afterwards they
+collected a quantity of black bees' wax, with which to cover the seams.
+An Indian occupies the greater part of a year in making his canoe: we
+calculated that we could do the work, with the aid of our iron tools, in
+ten days or a fortnight.  Three days had passed away, and still no
+Cashibos had appeared.
+
+"They will, I suspect, not come at all," I remarked to Manco.
+
+"Do not be sure of that," he answered.  "You do not know their savage
+and revengeful natures.  They will lie in wait often for weeks or months
+together, to destroy an enemy.  I'm afraid that they have only gone to
+collect their friends, and will be down on us in greater numbers."
+
+The fifth night passed away, and the sixth night came.  Our canoe,
+though far from complete, was sufficiently hollowed out to form a boat,
+and Ned had that day shaped some paddles; but we had still to build up
+the sides, and to pay over the whole with wax, to make it water-tight;
+also to put in seats, and half-decks to the bow and stern, as well as to
+provision her, to make her fit for our voyage down the river.  It was my
+watch, and Pedro and one of the Indians were with me.
+
+"Hist, Senor!" said the latter.  "I hear an enemy's footsteps on the
+ground.  The sound comes down upon the wind.  They think we are asleep,
+or they would be more cautious.  Lie down, and we will not undeceive
+them till they are close to us."
+
+"You are right," I answered; and I crept silently to where Pedro was
+standing, and told him what the Indian had said, desiring him also to
+rouse up the rest to be ready for action.
+
+In another minute all hands were at their posts.  We were only just in
+time; for presently we could distinguish through the stockades a number
+of tall savage-looking figures collected among the trees; and an arrow,
+with a burning head, was sent flying into the centre of our fort.  It
+stuck in the ground, and did no damage.  Instantly it was followed by a
+whole flight, and the most terrific yells and cries rent the air, as
+some hundreds of the fiercest-looking savages were now rushing on
+towards the fort.
+
+"Now, be steady, and fire," cried Manco.
+
+We did, and each of us hit his man; our Indians at the same time sending
+their arrows from their bows as fast as they could draw the string,
+returning those which the _Cashibos_ had sent.  Several of our enemies
+had fallen by the time they had reached the foot of the hill.  Still
+they came on, and began to climb the rocks.  If they succeeded in
+getting up, and climbing over the stockades, we saw we should to a
+certainty be overwhelmed.  On they came with terrific cries and yells.
+Again and again we fired, and rarely missed; but their numbers were so
+great, that little impression was made on them.  They found, however, as
+they got higher up, their difficulties increased.  Our Indians plied
+them rapidly with arrows, and at intervals tumbled down the stones on
+their heads, and we continued loading and firing without cessation.  We
+could almost reach them with our spears; and so crowded together were
+they, that they impeded each other's movements.  This gave us a great
+advantage, of which we did not fail to profit; and seizing the largest
+stones at hand, we dashed them down on their faces, and knocked them off
+the cliff.  Their places were, however, speedily supplied by others, and
+at length some of them succeeded in reaching the stockades.  Now came
+the tug of war; for the fighting was hand to hand, where numbers would
+have the advantage.  Just then I recollected the effect our horses had
+had on them before; and calling Manco, we mounted two which stood behind
+the hill, ready saddled, and dashed forward at the enemy with our spears
+in our hands, uttering loud shouts.  The apparition so startled the
+foremost ranks, that they turned round to fly, hurrying those behind
+them back also.  Seeing the success of our manoeuvre, we told the rest
+to follow our example.  Nita, who had been by the side of Manco, leaped
+on a horse.  Ned took hold of her baby; and the Indians, leading the
+baggage-horses, we prepared to gallop down the rock, and to charge the
+main body of the _Cashibos_.  It seemed an act of desperation, but it
+was our only chance.  Our arrows and stones were exhausted, and our
+ammunition would not have held out much longer.  Our enemies, seeing us
+coming on with so bold a front, were seized with a panic; and, with loud
+cries, they all turned round and fled into the woods, leaving some dozen
+or more of their number dead on the field.
+
+"We may now rest where we are, I suppose," I observed to Manco.
+
+"No, no!" he answered.  "They will go away, and hold a war council, and
+return again before long.  We must get away from hence, and put the
+river between us before daylight, or we shall suffer from it."
+
+Accordingly we descended from our rock, and security the horses to the
+trees, we united our strength, and launched our unfinished canoe into
+the water.  The wood of which she was composed was so light that she
+floated high; but to give her greater buoyancy, we secured a quantity of
+dry rushes round the gunnel; and we found that when our stores were in
+her, there was room for all the party.
+
+"Come, mates, it's time to be under weigh, if we are not to wait till
+the Injuns are back upon us," shouted Ned.  But one of our Indians was
+missing.
+
+While I was looking round for him, a bright light shone from the top of
+the rock, and soon afterwards he made his appearance.  I found that he
+had gone back to light a fire, to make the _Cashibos_ suppose we were
+still on the rock.  Ned's voice again summoning is, we embarked in the
+canoe; and the horses being fastened to their halters, plunged into the
+water after us, encouraged by the voices of the Indians.  Ned, Manco,
+Pedro, and I seized the paddles, and away we went down the stream,
+gradually edging over to the opposite side.  The horses, having been
+accustomed to cross rivers, swam well; and for half an hour we continued
+our course, till we reached a convenient landing place.  Our poor horses
+were very much exhausted; but we reflected that had we left them on the
+other side, they would have fallen into the hands of the _Cashibos_.
+Our intention had been to have sent them back with the Indians; but the
+men had petitioned so hard to be allowed to accompany Manco, that he
+could not refuse them; and we, therefore, were compelled to turn our
+animals loose, with a hope that they might escape being devoured by
+jaguars or shot by Indians.
+
+We had landed in a little bay, the entrance of which was concealed, from
+the opposite shore.  By aid of our horses, we dragged up our canoe,
+which already had begun to leak from want of caulking.  Close to us was
+a rock, very similar to the one we had left, and to this we resolved to
+fly if we were again attacked; but Manco and the Indians expressed an
+opinion that the _Cashibos_ would not attempt to follow us across the
+stream.
+
+As soon as daylight returned, all hands set to work to finish the canoe.
+Some went to collect more bees' wax and bark, others fastened the bark
+to the part scooped out, and others put in the seats and decks, Ned
+acting the part of master-shipwright, and directing the whole, being
+actively employed with his own fingers at the same time.  Three more
+days were occupied in finishing the canoe.  At night we were afraid of
+lighting a fire, lest we should show the Cashibos our position, or we
+should have worked even then.  We slept as before, with our arms ready
+for instant action.  Our Indians shot some monkeys and three peccaries,
+with some birds, which served us for provision for some days; but we had
+no fear of being in want of food, as we were certain of finding an
+abundance of turtle on the banks of the river, and further down, of
+being able to purchase from friendly Indians, plantains, bananas,
+guavas, granadillas, pine-apples, water-melons, and many other fruits
+and vegetables.  We waited till morning, and having bade farewell to our
+poor horses, we launched our canoe, and stepping into her, pushed off
+into the stream.  We were but just in time to escape our enemies, for as
+we passed down we saw the shore lined with the Cashibos, who were
+launching a number of balsas and rafts with the evident intention of
+crossing to destroy us.  They sent a flight of arrows after us, but as
+the river was here though somewhat shallow, yet very broad, by keeping
+over to the opposite bank, we escaped them.  We had now paddles for all
+hands, and we plied them vigorously.  Pedro and I found it at first very
+tiring work; but Manco, Ned, and the Indians were accustomed to it.  The
+scenery we passed was often very fine, when the river ran between high
+rocks and ranges of hills.  From the character of the country we felt
+sure that we should far outstrip any pursuers.  To make certain,
+however, we paddled on the greater part of the night, the sharpest-eyed
+of the Indians being stationed at the bow to warn us of any danger we
+were approaching.  Towards the morning we pulled into a little sandy
+bay, where we landed, and threw ourselves down wrapped in our cloaks, to
+obtain some rest.  Scarcely was I asleep when I felt something pitch
+down upon my nose.  I looked up, but no one was near me.  I went to
+sleep again, when my head got a disagreeable thump, and so it went on.
+At last I shifted my position, but still the knocks continued, though I
+was too sleepy to heed them.  Awaking at daylight I looked up, and in
+the trees overhead I discovered a large family of monkeys, who had, I
+doubt not, thus been amusing themselves at my expense.  We were speedily
+again under weigh, and the stream running rapidly, we made, I dare say,
+from forty to fifty miles a day.  We passed two or three rapids, down
+which we had to lower our canoe, and to carry her cargo by land.  One
+was so dangerous that we judged it safer to haul her on shore, and to
+drag her over the ground to the lower side.  This we did by means of
+rollers placed under her bottom, but the operation occupied us a whole
+day, and so weary were we, that we were very thankful the Indians did
+not think of attacking us that night.  After this, the river became deep
+and free from obstructions of all kinds, so that we were able to allow
+the canoe to drop down the stream at night, two at a time only paddling,
+while the others slept.  In this manner we made rapid progress.
+Sometimes, when there were no signs of natives, we landed, and built
+huts to rest in at night.  We generally took these occasions to catch
+turtle, while our Indians went to hunt in the neighbourhood, and never
+failed to bring us back a supply of game.  In about ten days after our
+escape from the Cashibos, we sighted a village built close to the banks
+of the river.  It consisted of only eight or ten houses, but then each
+house was of great extent, with many divisions, and was the habitation
+of a considerable number of families.  The sides were of cane, without
+any cement between the interstices, and the roofs were neatly formed of
+palm leaves.  A turn of the river brought us upon it before we had time
+to pull to the opposite side, when a number of the inhabitants came
+forth with _pacunas_, their deadly blow-pipes, in their hands, prepared
+to shoot at us.  Our Indians instantly hailed them, and informed them
+that a great chief was in the canoe, and entreated their hospitality.
+After a short consultation a friendly reply was given, and we pulled to
+the shore.  As soon as we landed they came down and led us up to their
+houses.
+
+There was something agreeable in their countenances, though their
+flowing hair and painted faces and legs and bodies gave them an
+extravagantly savage appearance, increased by their teeth being
+blackened, and by the bead ornaments which they wore round their necks,
+ankles, and wrists.  The men wore a long loose robe, and the women one
+of shorter dimensions.  There was little neatness in the internal
+economy of their dwellings.  At the end farthest from the door was the
+fire-place, surrounded with pots and jars of many sizes.  On each side
+were raised platforms for bed-places, and pieces of beaten bark for
+bedding, covered with musquito curtains.  Bows, arrows, lances,
+_pacunas_ or blow-pipes, were hung to the posts or rafters, an axe and a
+knife in some cases: bowls made from calabashes, earthen jars to hold
+chica, water and young turtles; a few blocks of wood for seats, a few
+baskets, a ladder to reach to the roof, a wooden trough in which
+_masata_ is made, and a rude sort of loom, complete the furniture; from
+which list must not be omitted the lady's dressing box which contains
+her paints and brushes, as well as her trinkets.  The centre of the
+house is always left unoccupied, as beneath it are buried the members of
+the family who die, the living thus becoming the guardians of the dead.
+They gave us an abundant repast off _vaca marina_ or _manatee_, called
+in English a sea-cow (a curious fish which I must describe), turtle,
+monkeys, and a variety of vegetables and fruits.
+
+Our friends were great fishermen as well as sportsmen.  The next morning
+I accompanied some of them in their canoes to catch a _vaca marina_.
+They watched for the animal till his snout appeared above water, when
+they killed it with their spears.  In appearance it was something like a
+huge seal; but it has no power to leave the water.  It was about twelve
+feet long, with a large muzzle armed with short bristles, and small eyes
+and ears.  It had two thick fins and a longish thick tail; was very fat,
+and of a dark blue colour.  To bring it home a canoe was sunk under its
+body; and when bailed out, it floated it up with perfect ease.  The meat
+was in taste something between pork and beef.  A large quantity of oil
+was extracted from the blubber.
+
+Turtle flesh forms one of the principal articles of food of the people
+living on the banks of the rivers; and a very valuable oil is also
+extracted from the eggs, of which one female lays a hundred and fifty in
+a season.  It is used instead of butter.
+
+The fiercest inhabitants of the Amazon, and of its large and numerous
+tributaries, are the _lagartos, caimanes_, or alligators.  In some parts
+they are seen basking in the sun, like logs of wood thrown up by the
+tide, with their enormous mouths kept open ready to catch the flies
+which settle on their lower jaw.  Alligators lay eggs, and it is said
+that as soon as they are hatched the young ones try to run on to their
+mother's back, and that the male alligator, who has come for no other
+purpose, eats all which fail to take refuge there, aided by the
+gallinasos and other birds of prey.  Their natural food appears to be
+fish; and the Indians say that they will make a party of twelve or more,
+and that while one division blockades the entrance of a creek, the other
+will swim down, flapping their tails, and drive the fish into the jaws
+of their devourers.  When they cannot procure fish, they will land and
+destroy calves and young foals, dragging them to the water's edge to eat
+them.  When once they have tasted human flesh, it is asserted that they
+will take great pains to obtain it, upsetting canoes, and seizing people
+asleep near the banks, or floating on their balsas.  I have seen an
+Indian attack and kill an alligator in the water with a sharp knife.
+The Indian in one hand took a a fowl, and in the other his knife.  He
+swam till it got opposite the alligator, when it made a spring at the
+fowl.  On this he left the fowl floating, and diving below the surface,
+cut the belly of the monster open with his knife.  I have seen one
+twenty feet long; and what with his enormous head, and horrid eyes
+almost projecting out of his head, the impenetrable armour which covers
+his body, the red colour of his jaws, his sharp teeth, and his huge paws
+and tail, make him certainly a very hideous monster.
+
+The most deadly weapon the Indian of the Pampas uses is his _pacuna_ or
+blow-pipe, out of which he sends his arrows, dipped in the fatal
+_wourali_ poison.  The poison takes its name from the wourali vine, the
+scraped wood of which, and some bitter roots, form the chief
+ingredients, boiled together.  The rites and incantations employed, and
+the numerous other articles added to the poisonous cauldron, may remind
+one of the weird sisters' concoction in Macbeth.  The _pacuna_ is
+composed of a very delicate thin reed, perfectly smooth inside and out,
+which is encased in a stouter one.  The arrows are from nine to ten
+inches long, formed of the leaf of a species of palm, hard and brittle,
+and pointed as sharp as a needle.  At the butt-end some wild cotton is
+twisted round, to fit the tube.  About an inch of the pointed end is
+poisoned.  Quivers are made to hold five or six hundred of these darts.
+The slightest wound causes certain death within a few minutes, as the
+poison mixes with the blood, and completely paralyses the system,
+causing, probably, little or no pain.  The _pacuna_ is very similar to
+the _sumpitan_, used by the inhabitants of Borneo and other people in
+the Eastern Archipelago, though the latter are not acquainted with the
+wourali poison.
+
+I must hurry on, I find, with my adventures.  For several days we
+proceeded down the Ucayali, till we arrived at a point where a small
+river, called the Shaunga, falls into it.  The stream was broad and
+tranquil, and vast trees grew down to the water's edge; while in the far
+distance, to the south and east, rose ranges of lofty mountains,
+reminding us of the distant Andes in miniature.  Manco pointed them out
+to Nita.
+
+"There," he said, "is our future home, till the Spaniards have learned
+not to despise the Indian race.  Then we will return, and once more
+endeavour to regain liberty for Peru, and to restore the dominion of the
+Incas."
+
+We here landed, and built some huts to last us a few days, while Manco
+sent one of our Indians as an ambassador to the chiefs of the villages,
+to crave the hospitality of the tribe.  We employed the time till the
+return of the messenger in fishing and shooting, and in preparing the
+canoe for a longer voyage; for which purpose we fitted her with a mast
+and sail, a very patch-work affair, made out of our saddle-cloths and
+some bits of cotton stuff, which Manco had brought with him.
+
+One day about noon, the sound of an Indian trumpet was heard; and soon
+afterwards, a dozen warriors appeared, their faces and bodies highly
+painted, and adorned with a profusion of beads.  They were clothed in
+the usual loose tunics, and armed with shields and clubs, ornamented
+with the antlers of a stag and richly tinted feathers, one end being
+sharp, to use as a spear; as also with bows and arrows, and lances.
+They were, I found, of the Sencis tribe.  These people live in good
+houses, cultivate the ground, and use canoes, and are a very intelligent
+and warlike people.
+
+The present party came to welcome Manco to their country, and to express
+their willingness to afford him an asylum as long as he chose to remain
+among them, it was with deep regret that we parted from him and Nita and
+their child.  He was too sensible to ask me to remain with him, feeling
+that, as a civilised man, I had my vocation elsewhere.
+
+"I hope to be of some use to these poor people in improving their
+condition," he observed with a sigh.  "The employment will serve to
+soothe my weary exile."
+
+Manco, and Nita with her child in her arms, stood on the shore, as,
+hoisting our sail, we steered our course down the river.  I watched them
+with aching eyes and a sad heart, till they faded from my sight.  Many
+years since then have passed away, but I have never received any account
+of my brave and noble friend.  He may have returned to Peru, when the
+War of Independence broke out, and the Creoles threw off the yoke of
+Spain.  At that time a large number of Indians joined the liberal party,
+under the idea that if the Spaniards were driven out, their freedom and
+ancient institutions would be restored; but they found that under the
+new republic their condition was but little if at all improved.  Many, I
+am told, however, still look forward to the time when Manco or his son
+shall appear, and the Inca and his race shall rule the land.
+
+I wish that I had space to describe our very interesting voyage down the
+Amazon.  I saw enough to convince me of the fertility of the soil, and
+the vast number of productions to be found in its neighbourhood, and on
+the banks of the many rivers which run into it.
+
+After some weeks we reached the station of a Portuguese missionary
+priest, who received us most hospitably; and finding that he was about
+to despatch a vessel to Para, we were glad to abandon our canoe, and to
+embark in her.  She was about thirty feet long and eight broad, the
+after part being decked with a house thatched with palm leaves, which
+served as the cabin for the passengers.  In the fore part was a
+frame-work, covered also with palm leaves, under which the crew stood to
+paddle.  In the centre was a mast, with a large square sail set on it.
+We had received as gifts several monkeys and parrots, and other birds
+and beasts, which now served to amuse us, as our own toils were over.
+Some parts of the Amazon, down which we sailed, were three miles wide,
+and appeared like large lakes.  For many hundreds of miles steamboats
+might penetrate into the interior of that magnificent region; and I hope
+that the enterprise which is every day making new fields for its
+employment, may be directed ere long to that direction, to carry the
+advantages of civilisation among the numerous interesting tribes who
+inhabit its shores.
+
+It was with much satisfaction that we reached the Portuguese city of
+Para, situated on the river of that name.  From the sandy nature of the
+soil, and the steady trade-winds which blow from the east, the city,
+though but little above the level of the sea at high water, is perfectly
+healthy.  There are a good many public buildings, and several largos or
+open spaces in the city; but the private residences have little
+pretension to beauty, though they are constructed with a due regard to
+afford as much shade and coolness as possible.  We remained here but two
+days; for, finding a schooner sailing for Rio de Janeiro, and there
+being no chance of a vessel direct to England for many months, we
+resolved to go in her.
+
+I shall never forget the intense delight with which Ned walked the deck
+as he once more found himself afloat on the open ocean.
+
+"This is what I call life, mate--true life," he exclaimed; "and it will
+be a long time before you find me out of sight of blue water again."
+
+Our schooner, the "Felicidade," had a rapid passage to Rio de Janeiro.
+I cannot stop to describe that city, which has now become the capital of
+an empire.  Indeed I saw very little of it.  Nor can I picture its
+magnificent harbour, large enough to hold all the navies in the world.
+My first care, on going on shore, was to learn what ships were about to
+start for Europe.  I found that one was sailing the very next morning.
+Ned, on hearing this, said he would go on board and look at the craft,
+while Pedro and I waited for him on the quay.  He soon came back, and
+said that the "Susan" was a fine large brig; that he liked her
+appearance, and as she was short of hands he had engaged for the passage
+home at good wages.  There was, he understood, an English family going
+home in her; but as she would have room for two more passengers, he
+advised me to return with him to secure berths for Pedro and myself.
+We, accordingly, forthwith went on board.
+
+"Your name, sir," said the master, when I told him my object.
+
+"David Rexton," I replied.
+
+"Rexton! that is very extraordinary," he replied.  "Why, that is the
+name of my other passengers."
+
+Oh! how my heart beat with strange, wild, fearful, yet hopeful emotions
+at these words.  I should have fallen on the deck, had not the
+kind-hearted man supported me.
+
+"Where are they?"  I at length found words to say.
+
+"In the cabin at this moment," he replied.  "But stay, I have heard much
+about them, and suspect who you are.  Do you go forward with my mate
+there, and stay quiet for a little time; while I go and prepare them for
+your appearance.  By-and-by we will introduce your friend here, and he
+can tell them he has seen you alive and well."
+
+I put myself under the good master's directions; and I need scarcely say
+that Heaven had mercifully preserved my beloved parents, and thought fit
+to re-unite me to them.  The very night the village, where they had
+taken refuge, was attacked, the faithful Ithulpo had warned them in time
+to enable them to fly to the mountains, where they had concealed
+themselves in the hut of an aged Indian.  Ithulpo had, unfortunately,
+quitted them, to look for some of their horses; and they had seen no
+more of him.  From the hut of the Indian, after a detention of some
+weeks, they succeeded in reaching the coast, and getting on board a
+merchantman, engaged in smuggling.  She directly afterwards sailed; and
+rounding Cape Horn, they put into the magnificent harbour of Rio de
+Janeiro, for water and provisions.  Here my father found that the
+affairs of a branch of their house would much benefit by his presence.
+He accordingly had remained, till I so fortunately arrived.
+
+We finally reached England in safety.  Ned refused to touch any of the
+gold given to us by Manco; and I, feeling that I could do no less than
+follow the noble fellow's generous example, devoted it to the service of
+Pedro, who was thus enabled to obtain the best education England could
+afford.  Some years afterwards he went to Peru, and succeeded in
+recovering the larger portion of his father's property.  He fought in
+the War of Independence, when his native country threw off the yoke of
+Spain; but deeply disappointed in the result of that struggle, he lived
+in retirement on his estate, devoting himself to doing good to the
+surrounding population.
+
+He wrote me word that he had made every inquiry for Manco, but could
+hear nothing of him.  The Inca noble probably perceived that the War of
+Independence could do little to ameliorate the condition of his people,
+and refused to leave his retreat.
+
+My tale is ended.  Since the period of my adventures in Peru I have
+visited many countries, and witnessed many strange scenes; and this I
+can assert, that every event of my life has tended to confirm the
+lessons given me by my father, to increase my reliance on God, and to
+convince me more and more that He orders all things for the best; and
+that when He thinks fit to afflict His creatures, He has some wise
+object in view, even though we may not be able to discover it.
+Therefore, I say to my young friends, learn what is right to be done,
+and do it, fearless of consequences, and trusting in Heaven.  Seek not
+for the reward of man, and be assured that God will care for you here,
+and more than amply repay you hereafter.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Manco, the Peruvian Chief, by W.H.G. Kingston
+
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